Giacomo Conterno Barbera d’Alba Vigna Cerretta 2019 750ml

I tasted the Giacomo Conterno 2019 Barbera d’Alba Vigna Cerretta a week or so after the wine had been bottled. You are immediately made aware of the richness and concentration achieved in this growing season thanks to the wine’s dark and velvety appearance. To the nose, this Barbera d’Alba imparts wild cherry, plum, spice, tarry smoke, dried mint and sweet apricot. Warm earthy notes frame that core of lively fruit. The Cerretta site in Serralunga d’Alba has more clay in the soils, which produces the extra power displayed by this wine. Ultimately, the 2019 will be remembered for its lasting textural impact.

• Country: Italy
• Region: Piedmont
• Appellation: Alba
• Size: 750ml
• Color: Red
• Alcohol by Vol: 15.0%

Varietal

Barbera

For centuries now, the beautiful red grapes of the Barbera varietal have been grown in Italy, where they are prized for their unusual high acid content and low tannins, brought about by their thin skins. The Barbera grape varietal thrives in warmer climates, and has had some success overseas in the new world, where its strongly aromatic flavors of intense hedgerow fruits make it a favorite with wineries and wine drinkers looking for a grape which offers plenty of interesting characteristics. Interestingly, the differences between young and aged wines made from this varietal are quite significant, with younger bottles holding a plethora of berry flavors, including blueberry and raspberry notes, and oak aged wines made from the Barbera grape being much loved for their ability to become extremely complex and spicy, and picking up vanilla flavors from the wood they are barreled in.