Diego Conterno - Ferrione, Barbera d'Alba, Piedmont, Italy (2022)

TASTING NOTES

Full of red berries (particularly raspberries), plums, wet rocks and a hint of herbs and spices, this is a fruity wine with high acidity and fine-grained tannins.

 This is 100% Barbera from the Ferrione vineyard, with vines planted on a west facing hill at an altitude of 450 meters. Hand-harvested, destemmed, and fermented on native yeasts in stainless steel with minimal sulfur added. After fermentation, the wine was aged for four months in large oak casks (botti grande) and another six months in concrete.

Working out of their winery on the outskirts of the town of Monforte d'Alba, which overlooks a number of their vineyards, Diego and Stefano employ superb farming techniques and traditional methods for their wines. In the vineyards, they work organically and entirely by hand, tending each parcel carefully and methodically.

Moreover, they make very strict selections at harvest, choosing only the best fruit from each of their plots. Fermentations are long and slow, and they prefer cement and, increasingly, Botte Grande (large cask) to mature the Nebbiolo.

Harnessing their exquisite terroirs, Diego and Stefano make breathtaking wines, which embody the best elements of Monforte d'Alba: structure, texture, minerality and longevity..