Produttori del Barbaresco, Barbaresco 2020 - 150cl
This is the same wine as the celebrated Produttori del Barbaresco straight Barbaresco 2020, but here it arrives in magnum, and the format changes the equation. A magnum holds 150cl, twice the standard bottle, while the neck and closure stay the same size. Less air per unit of wine means slower, steadier ageing, and for a Nebbiolo built to reward patience that matters a great deal.
The wine itself needs no reintroduction. Produttori del Barbaresco is the grower co-operative founded in 1958 in the village of Barbaresco, and this bottling is all Nebbiolo, aged in large Slavonian oak casks. The 2020 vintage brought a little extra richness: mid-ruby moving to garnet, a nose of wild cherry and red plum, rose and violet, liquorice and crushed limestone, then a medium-bodied palate carried by high acidity and fine, velvety tannins to a long, savoury close.
There is a reason collectors buy Barbaresco in magnum. The slower evolution means a wine that holds and improves for longer, comfortably towards 2040 and beyond, while the format itself turns dinner into an occasion. Nebbiolo of this quality only grows more interesting with time in bottle, and the larger format simply gives it more room to do so. Pour it down a long table for people who care what is in the glass, or put it away for a birthday or anniversary a decade off. Buy two and you can open one young and cellar the other to see how far it travels; either way, it will still be finding new notes long after the standard bottles are gone.
How to Serve
Serve at 16-18C in large glasses. Decant around an hour ahead; the magnum's volume makes it ideal for sharing across a crowded table.
Where to Drink It
- Bocca di Lupo, Soho - regional Italian plates for a bottle meant to be shared.
- The River Cafe, Hammersmith - a celebratory room that will happily pour a magnum.
- Planque, Haggerston - a cellar-led spot where big-format bottles feel right at home.
Food Pairings
Made for a shared feast: a slow-braised beef shin or a whole roast, with a hunk of Parmigiano to finish.
