To pigeonhole the Barbera grape as the one you plant in the places where Nebbiolo won’t grow is to leave an opportunity on the table. The first Piedmontese winemaker to fully embrace this was the late Giacomo Bologna, who, in addition to being in a more Barbera-friendly growing zone (Asti), saw that the grape was capable of greatness if treated with appropriate care (and a healthy dose of oak).
Bologna’s Braida winery remains a benchmark for its profound, ageworthy Barbera d’Asti wines, especially “Bricco dell’Uccellone.” Even in Barolo, however, where Nebbiolo is king, there are some producers willing to save some prime real estate for Barbera. One is Luca Currado of Vietti, whose single-vineyard “Scarrone” Barbera comes from a site right next to his winery, and another is Roberto Voerzio, whose “Pozzo dell’Annunziata” Barbera is a delicious evocation of the Barolo village of La Morra. Voerzio’s cousin, Alberto, a relative newcomer on the Barolo scene, earns a place among the Barbera big boys with this deeply serious Barbera d’Alba from his tiny property in La Morra. As any of the above-mentioned legends would tell you: Show Barbera some love (as in a prime vineyard site, and maybe some aging in good oak barrels) and it will love you back. Alberto Voerzio listened, and this wine delivers. Structured like a Barolo but with more polished, ripe fruit offering pleasure right out of the gate, this is next-level, cellar-worthy Barbera. The next time an occasion calls for a powerful, showstopper red, give this one a try!
The Voerzio surname is well-known in the Barolo-making village of La Morra: Alberto Voerzio is the younger cousin of both Roberto and Gianni Voerzio, both of whom have drawn international acclaim for their wines. Alberto, whose passion is viticulture, apprenticed with Roberto for a time when he was just starting out, and it was from Roberto that he was able to acquire his small collection (four hectares) of vineyards, including a parcel in the cru most readily associated with the family, “La Serra.” Alberto is effectively a one-man-band, overseeing all vineyard and cellar work personally and taking pride in using no chemicals or herbicides at any point in the process.
Today’s Barbera d’Alba comes from a La Morra vineyard called “Castagni,” which you don’t see anywhere on the label because it is only allowed to be used as a vineyard designation for Barolo. Soils are a mix of marl and clay with occasional veins of sand, and the wine is a classic example of the results Barbera can deliver when planted in a choice site. It was fermented on indigenous yeasts in stainless steel and aged 12 months in used French oak barriques and eight months in tank before bottling.
In the glass, it shows tremendous color density, as is typical of Barbera (and the 2015 vintage in Europe), with a nearly opaque ruby-black core moving to garnet at the rim. Deep, juicy aromas of black cherry, blackberry, red and black currant, cocoa nibs, coffee grounds, and humid earth. Full-bodied, with some subtle spice and oak tannin lending backbone, the wine is deeply concentrated but in no way syrupy, sweet, or ‘hot’ (all potential perils for high-end Barberas in this price range). It is ready to drink now if given 30-45 minutes in a decanter but it has enough structure and focus for a least five years of positive evolution in the cellar. There’s plenty of extract balanced by ample acidity (a Barbera trademark), making it a great food wine: This one’s bold enough for a roasted duck breast accented with blackberries, as in the attached recipe. Barbera for the win!!
