Produttori del Barbaresco, Barbaresco 2020 - 75cl
Few names in Piedmont carry the weight of Produttori del Barbaresco. The co-operative was founded in 1958 by a group of growers who chose to pool their Nebbiolo rather than sell it off cheaply, and decades on it has become one of Italy's most admired collective ventures. This straight Barbaresco DOCG is the house calling card: all Nebbiolo, drawn from vineyards across the appellation, and aged patiently in large Slavonian oak casks before release.
The 2020 vintage handed the estate a little more richness than usual, and you can feel it. Look for a mid-ruby colour already edging towards garnet at the rim, then a nose that opens in stages: wild cherry and red plum, rosebud and violet, a curl of liquorice and sweet spice, all set against a savoury, almost stony note of crushed limestone. The palate is medium-bodied and bright, driven by high acidity and fine, velvety tannins that grip without drying you out. The finish is long and gently savoury.
Barbaresco tends to show its perfume a touch earlier than Barolo, which makes it the more approachable of the Langhe's two great appellations in youth. This 2020 is already drinking well if you give it air, yet there is real structure underneath. Lay a few bottles down and they will reward you, holding and evolving comfortably towards 2040 as the fruit softens and the tar and dried-rose notes come to the fore. Open one now with a decant, or cellar the rest; either way you have one of the Langhe's most dependable and quietly serious expressions of Nebbiolo, from a producer that has earned every ounce of its reputation.
How to Serve
Serve at 16-18C in a large-bowled glass. Young as it is, decant for around an hour before serving to let the perfume and firm tannins unfurl.
Where to Drink It
- The River Cafe, Hammersmith - Italian cooking serious enough to meet a classic Barbaresco head-on.
- Trullo, Islington - hand-rolled pasta and a wine list that understands Piedmont.
- Noble Rot, Lamb's Conduit Street - a wine-first room built for bottles like this.
Food Pairings
A natural with brasato al Barolo or agnolotti del plin, and just as happy alongside a wedge of aged Castelmagno.
