2011 Barbaresco

Proprietor Renato Vacca has moved his release schedule back by a year to give his wines more time in bottle, so the 2011 is the current vintage in the market. This year, Vacca has a new Barbaresco from the Gallina vineyard in Neive. Historically, Gallina has produced a relatively forward, open-knit style of Barbaresco relative to the norm in Neive. It will be interesting to see how things develop, and in particular, how the Gallina compares over time with the Albesani, which if faces directly across a small valley. The 2011s saw around 30 days on the skins with daily punchdowns through the end of maceration, followed by a year in barrel and a second year in cask.

Cantina del Pino is now one of the established superstar producers in Barbaresco. Proprietor Renato Vacca finished bringing in his 2010s in mid October. The wines spent a year in French oak barrels followed by 14 months in cask. As good as the single-vineyard wines are, the straight Barbaresco is nearly as good and should not be overlooked. The 2010s show the brightness of the high acid year, with great perfume and a little less obvious concentration than some other vintages. I am always thrilled when I see that a winemaker has his vegetable garden near the vineyards, as it is a sign the grapes are being farmed with a minimum of additives. Readers who don't know these wines yet owe it to themselves to check them out.