Barbaresco 2020 – the tasting notes

50% Roncaglie (Barbaresco), 35% Starderi (Neive), 15% Ronchi (Barbaresco).
Youthful, just mid ruby. Lifted, sweetly spiced raspberry fruit and an elegant, complex, dry oak note. Embryonic and compact and with succulent acidity. Firm, chewy tannins and with fantastic length. Already delicious. (WS)

Aged for 12 months in French tonneaux and barriques, 10% new oak, followed by 12 months in large Gamba and Stockinger casks of Slavonian oak. ‘In 2008 we began with the gradual exchange of the large oak casks that were already used by my grandfather.’ Now their oldest oak cask is 15 years old. This wine was bottled at the beginning of June and has just been released.
Youthful, just mid ruby. Expressive, cool, sweetly perfumed red-fruit nose with a whiff of spicy new oak. Elegant, fresh raspberry fruit and with lively acidity and crunchy tannins that stick to the palate. Vibrant. (WS)

Mid ruby with bright orange tinges. Seductive oak and perfumed sour-cherry-fruit nose. Oaked, supple red-fruit palate that is easy-going and pleasant, with chewy, long tannins. Turns slightly sour on the finish. Ready now. (WS)

Just mid ruby. Sour cherry with stalky top notes. Soft, mellow cherry fruit with a bit of acidity and soft, drying tannins. Slight heat on the finish. A bit simple, but serviceable. (WS)

Pale ruby with orange tinges. Dark spice notes on a rather shy fruit nose. A light, soft but long strawberry-fruit palate with soft, chewy tannins. Pretty and a credible expression of what looks like a challenging vintage. (WS)

Mid-to-deep ruby with orange tinges. Discreet, peppery red-fruit nose with a hint of iron. Easy-going, supple fruit with soft tannins. Well made but more like a Langhe Nebbiolo and a bit of a lightweight. (WS)

Alba. Just mid ruby. Minerally, saline nose that is still a little closed. Marasca cherry fruit with firm, chewy tannins. Quite light fruit but pretty nonetheless. (WS)

Alba. Just mid ruby with orange tinges. A round, soft red-fruit nose with candied fruit hints but more complex than it sounds. Sweet, long and supple and with powdery tannins on the finish. Not enormously complex but a very inviting kind of wine. (WS)

Alba. Mid ruby with bright orange tinges. Brooding red-fruit nose with spicy, salty notes. Very compact and closed on the palate and could do with a tad more fruit to match the firm, chewy tannins. (WS)

Alba. Just mid ruby. Minerally nose with hints of iron and a suggestion of fennel seeds. Elegant, almost a little light on the palate, becoming more complex and certainly more tannic on the finish. Has the bones to age. (WS)

Alba. Just mid ruby with orange tinges. Serious, deep and sweet cherry- and wild-strawberry-fruit nose, with a pinch of pinewood. Succulent fruit that is light of touch but closes up on the finish. Quite muscular, big tannins but long and aromatic at the same time. Could do with another year in bottle. (WS)

Barbaresco. Youthful mid ruby. A proper, concentrated fruit nose, which this vintage is woefully short of. Subtle marasca cherry palate with lots of finely ground tannins; head and shoulders above the rest. (WS)

Barbaresco. Maturing mid ruby with orange tinges. Subtly oaked, soft red-fruit nose that increases in depth with aeration. Soft, juicy strawberry palate that is a little fleeting on the finish. (WS)

Barbaresco. Mid-to-deep ruby with orange tinges. Subtle raspberry nose with just a pinch of savoury oak. Soft raspberry fruit with just the right amount of grainy tannins. Juicy and just a little light. (WS)

Barbaresco. Maturing mid ruby with bright orange tinges. Pretty, soft oak and strawberry-fruit nose. Light and pleasant but not up to cru level and fading a little on the finish. (WS)

Barbaresco. Just mid ruby with orange tinges. Balsamic nose that is closed on the fruit. Light strawberry fruit on the palate with gripping but not hard tannins. Elegant but not hugely long. (WS)

Barbaresco. Mid ruby with orange tinges. Oak and spicy notes but with little fruit emerging from the glass. Light strawberry fruit pepped up by the oak. A tiny bit simple and ready now. (WS)

Barbaresco. Just mid ruby. Firm, perfumed, sweet red-fruit nose with an undertow of minerals. Finely tuned fruit on the palate with a layer of super-fine, deep, crunchy tannins. Still needs to unfurl but has a great future. (WS)

Barbaresco. Mid ruby with orange tinges. Firm, spicy nose but still a little closed on the fruit. Stalky, spicy cherry fruit, which could be a little purer, and loaded with grainy tannins on the finish. Ends a tiny bit bitter. (WS)

Barbaresco. Mid ruby with bright orange tinges. Fine and generous on the nose and with posh oak notes. Fragrant, supple strawberry fruit that is light of touch. Long, fine tannins and plenty of acidity, but overall could do with a little more fruit. (WS)

Barbaresco. Just mid ruby. Very closed on the nose with only a suggestion of savoury spice. Fragrant and light strawberry palate with crunchy tannins. Not a heavyweight by any stretch of the imagination, but certainly more than pleasant. (WS)

Barbaresco. Deep ruby. Lots of ripe strawberry fruit on the nose and already a little evolved. Generous strawberry and sour-cherry fruit on the palate, with soft, chewy tannins. Ready to go. (WS)

Barbaresco. Mid ruby with orange tinges. Balsamic cherry nose with hints of mint and gingerbread. Soft and ripe fruit balanced by acidity and soft, long tannins. Sour-cherry finish. Not showing huge depth but, overall, certainly satisfying. (WS)

Barbaresco. Impressively dark ruby. Concentrated dark fruit with minty oak on the nose. Smooth cherry fruit with touches of vanilla from the oak and long, powdery tannins. Quite a bit of acidity, too, adding freshness. (WS)

Barbaresco. Just mid ruby. Balsamic nose with a hint of Band-Aid. Savoury, juicy strawberry fruit with a hint of saffron and powdery tannins. A little disappointing for this cru. (WS)

Barbaresco. Mid ruby with bright orange tinges. Ethereal marasca cherry nose and with a suggestion of eucalyptus. Very light of touch but with a long, aromatic finish where chewy tannins show up. (WS)

Barbaresco. Morassino is a historic lieu-dit in the Ovello MGA.
Mid ruby with orange tinges. A leafy, shy cherry nose and a shy, light cherry-fruit palate. A little underwhelming. (WS)

Barbaresco. Mid ruby. A pretty strawberry nose with a little lift and touches of gingerbread. Succulent, ripe and round on the palate. Not the most complex, but more than average. (WS)

Barbaresco. Lustrous mid ruby with orange tinges. Subdued fruit nose with balsamic spice notes. Soft and almost rich strawberry fruit with a muscular structure and a little tart on the finish, but with a long fruit aroma. (WS)

Barbaresco. Lustrous mid ruby. Quite subdued on the nose and balsamic rather than fruity. A hint of fennel. A core of soft strawberry fruit framed by firm, chewy tannins. Not hugely long but satisfying. (WS)

Barbaresco. Just mid ruby with orange tinges. A deep spice nose hinting at balsamic fruit and iron. Light but aromatic fruit palate with fine, chewy tannins that take the lead on the finish. (WS)

Barbaresco. Concentrated mid ruby. Balsamic cherry and strawberry nose with a hint of cinnamon bark. Supple and lush strawberry fruit with firm, finely ground tannins. A tiny bit jammy on the finish, but at least it has fruit concentration, which quite a few wines lack in this vintage. Ready now. (WS)

Barbaresco. Mid ruby with bright orange tinges. A shy, leafy cherry nose. Soft cherry fruit with long, powdery tannins. A little more substantial than their Rabajà but with the same lightness of touch on the palate. (WS)

Barbaresco. Lustrous ruby with orange tinges. Lift and concentration on the nose. Ripe red fruit with a peppery tingle and a hint of oak. Supple, concentrated and with firm, slightly drying tannins – this has great fruit length and a real future. Ends a tad warm. (WS)

Barbaresco. Lustrous mid ruby. Ripe, rich morello cherry nose with a hint of laurel. Has a perfumed quality to it. Lush cherry and raspberry fruit with firm but finely chiselled tannins. Completely ready. (WS)

Barbaresco. Lustrous mid ruby. A pretty, ripe raspberry nose with minerally, salty touches. Elegant and lithe fruit palate with lots of powdery tannins but seems to fade a little on the finish. (WS)

Barbaresco. Youthful, mid ruby. At first, a little compact and subdued on the nose. With aeration, an amazing amalgam of garden herbs and liquorice powder and with complex cherry fruit lurking underneath. Super-elegant palate weight with great fruit purity. Finely ground, long tannins and nervy acidity. Quite a stunner. (WS)

Barbaresco. Mid ruby with orange tinges. A fine cherry- and raspberry-fruit nose with subtle oak notes. Sweet strawberry and raspberry fruit on the palate with gravelly tannins. Not the most complex but convincing for this vintage. (WS)

Barbaresco. Youthful mid ruby. Deep marasca cherry-fruit nose. Supple marasca cherry fruit that fades just a tiny bit on the finish. (WS)

Barbaresco. Roncagliette. Bottled at the beginning of 2023 and will be released in September.
Just mid ruby. An amplified version of the Classico but with more depth and complexity and an undertow of stones. Same elegant leggerezza – lightness of touch on the palate – but with a firmer, finely chiselled tannic structure that is quite present now and frames the fine, fresh but completely dry, elegant raspberry fruit. Still tightly wound. (WS)

Barbaresco. A shade deeper than the Costa Russi. Deep, youthful and just mid crimson. Gorgeous, layered raspberry fruit with a savoury, minerally undertow. Finely tuned, with hardly perceptible oak. Great concentration of cool raspberry fruit that is wonderfully light of touch on the palate. Firm but fine tannins on the finish, while the cool fruit closes up. Pure leggerezza (lightness of touch) combined with tannic muscle – that of an athlete, not a body builder. (WS)

Barbaresco. Concentrated mid ruby. Brooding cherry nose with a hint of Band-Aid, and a cherry-fruit palate with a note of saffron. The finish is purer and with quite a bit of acidity and lots of powdery tannins. Might improve with age? (WS)

Barbaresco. Youthful, shiny mid ruby. Lifted, fresh and focused on the nose and with surprising depth and energy. Compact and elegant yet gripping palate with layered, concentrated fruit, nervy acidity and long, deep, sandy tannins creating the perfect balance. Needs more time to open, but already extremely pretty. (WS)

Barbaresco. Pale ruby with orange tinges. Leafy and light nose with hints of strawberry. Light strawberry-fruit palate with a suggestion of saffron. Long, aromatic, sweet fruit finish, but overall a bit light. (WS)