2016 Barbaresco Rio Sordo Riserva Produttori del Barbaresco

The 2016 Barbaresco Riserva Rio Sordo is a serious, somber wine. Black cherry, plum, lavender, spice and menthol show off the darker side of Nebbiolo to great effect. In most vintages, Rio Sordo is an easygoing wine, but not in 2016. Readers will find a potent, brooding yet mid-weight Barbaresco that screams with character. What a way to start this tasting!

En af kommunens lavere liggende marker med åben vestflanke ned mod Tánaro, hvor Produttori virkelig sidder på magten. Deres bønder ejer størstedelen af marken, hvor parcellerne går fra sydøst over syd til sydvest. Her er kalkindholdet relativt lavt efter Barbaresco-forhold. Mere mørk stil, mere svulmende, klart sødere i næsen, men stadig med snapsekrydderier, mens smagen er mere smygende og lækker og den har ikke samme bid som Pajé.

The 2016 Barbaresco Riserva Rio Sordo takes it up a notch if you consider the tasting of each one of these single-vineyard wines tasted in order. With the Rio Sordo, you really start to feel the textural richness and fruit weight that can be achieved with Nebbiolo in a great vintage. This vintage is compact and tightly woven together, suggesting a forecast for an extra long drinking window. The Alutto and Marengo families farm the fruit used in this blend. This wine will live long, and I love that touch of candied licorice that appears on the close (especially when you come back to the open bottle 24 hours later).