Medium Body, Fruity (Barbera). IGT Oltrepo Pavese Barbera. Alc 14.5%.
Classic grape with unusual presentation - Barbera Leggermente Appassite.
A rich, warm nose. Expect notes of dried red fruit (plus a touch of blueberry) and some subtle sweet spice. Ripe (sweet) red fruit on the palate. A powerful but smooth wine, with good acidity and smooth tannins, creating a rich wine that manages to retain a lively character. Will keep you coming back for more.
From the winery:
"By interrupting the flow of liquids between the vine and the fruit, the ancient technique of shoot cutting induces a raisining of the grape and creates a concentrated, intense juice. The drying fruit bathes in sunrays that widen and deepen the aromatic range developed in the skin: the fruity tartness of ripe grape is enveloped by sweet softness. Doc Oltrepo’ Pavese Barbera; 100% Barbera; Fermentation by shoot cutting, aged in for 10 months in 600L tonneaux."
LEARN MORE: Follow this link to a podcast by Wine For Normal People that's useful for understanding more about the grape BARBERA!
MEET THE WINERY: Click here to read more background on this family-run estate.
Finally, an excerpt from an article by Walter Speller for JancisRobinson.com, written in summer 2021, says "I have rarely come across an interesting sparkling wine from [Lombardy's Oltrepò Pavese area] ... and when I did I filed the experience under 'exception proving the rule'. Therefore I was quite thrown off balance when I tasted the metodo classico wines from Castello di Cigognola ... Owned by Moratti, a family of entrepreneurs, the team at the property have set themselves the lofty goal of challenging not Franciacorta but Champagne. Their secret weapon is north-facing, mature vineyards of Pinot Noir at elevations of at least 350 m (1,150 ft). Fully ripe grapes are what they are after, something which Oltrepò Pavese routinely delivers year after year, making adding sugar at any stage of the winemaking process unnecessary. The Morattis have taken on board star oenologist Federico Staderini, who among others is responsible for the Poggio di Sotto Brunellos that are extremely elegant even though they are grown in one of Montalcino's warmer areas. And that seems to be the Staderini signature: Oltrepò Pavese can be very warm, but the first releases of Castello di Cigognola do not reflect this in the least. What they show, dare I say it, is that Oltrepò Pavese can be a very good place to produce top Pinot Noirs and not just in sparkling form."