The Best Barbaresco You've Never Tried
During our first trip to Barbaresco in 2011 we were looking for producers that weren’t well known in the United States. As we walked down the main (only?) street in town, we went in every cantina we passed to see if we could do a tasting. The really big ones like Gaja were by appointment only, but we managed to get in to some of the smaller producers. Two producers that we really liked were Boffa and Rocche dei Barbari, with our favorite being the latter.
Rocche dei Barbari has a boutique near the end of the street, close to the tower. What makes this winery unique is that this is the only place you can buy their wine. It is not for sale in wine stores or restaurants. It is not distributed anywhere in the world. But it is one of the best Barbarescos I have tasted.
The family winery has been producing wine since the 17th century and has been selling under the Rocche dei Barbari label since 1974. When you walk into the boutique you are greeted by a family member who will guide you through the tasting of their wines. Often during the tasting Nonna will bring out a board of salumi, cheeses, and bread. Besides the current vintages of their Barbaresco, Barbaresco Riserva, and Barbaresco Riserva Alivio, you can also taste older vintages, some of which are downstairs in the cellar still in casks. Their Barbaresco Reserva spends from 5 to 10 years in the cellar before bottling. During our visit in 2015 we were treated to a glass of their 1991 vintage which was no longer available in the bottle. It was exquisite! Also we tried the 2008 Riserva and after we asked about purchasing it, they filled and corked bottle just for us and put a hand-written label on it. We just opened this bottle the other day and the long aging in the bottle only enhanced the aroma and taste of the wine. The beautiful deep garnet color with copper highlights, the aromas of red fruits, spice, and tobacco were even better than when we first tasted this 10 years ago.
We love this winery so much that once when we were planning a trip to Provence we flew in and out of Milan so we could stop in Barbaresco and pick up a case of this wine. If you find yourself in Barbaresco, don’t miss this wine,
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