25 December 2017
The trademark cherry aroma of the Barbera grape shows up in the underground and is not overpowered neither by the high alcohol content (15.5%) nor by the almost three years in barrel.
In the mouth less powerful than you would expect. More a sign of a well made wine than a lack of anything. A quality confirmed by the pleasant finish and discrete but long aftertaste.
Overall the wine is well balanced, with acidity, alcohol and wood well integrated, delivering a pleasantly smooth sensation. An appropriate balance that’s not self-evident, given the objectively high alcohol, the natural high acidity of the Barbera grape and the extended exposure to wood.
As the name let easily guess, this very enjoyable Barbera del Monferrato DOC wine is bottled only in Magnum (1.5l). The magnum is a suitable bottle size for ageing, because it contains double the liquid of a standard bottle without increasing the air exposure through a bigger neck.
This is the top of the range wine produced by the Winery “Bricco Mondalino”, located in Vignale Monferrato, in the Piedmont region.
I discovered this family run winery by chance a few years ago, while exploring the Monferrato region with my son on father’s day.
Beside the quality of the wines and the warm welcome of the Gaudio family, what captured my attention from the first visit have been the hands of the owner. Hands that with their shape and staining reveal a life spent in the vineyard, working on the vines, and in the cellar, taking care of the vinification.
A visual impression that only confirms the deep passion and the popular wisdom that the man expresses in words. Aspects that testimony of a life devoted to improving the product of a land that traditionally was focused more on quantity than on quality.
Still today, in this least known of the three Piedmontese classified Barbera zones, cheap and rather rustic Barberas are the norm, while well balanced, more expensive (but still moderately priced) ones are an exception. This good example I paid around 30 EUR (for the Magnum). Given the quality, a bargain.
Country: Italy
Region: Piedmont
Grapes: Barbera
Type: Red
Vintage: 2011
Producer: Gaudio
Price Range: Medium (15-30 US$)
Pascal’s Enjoyment Index: 3/5