Taverna - Langhe Nebbiolo, Piedmont, Italy (2019)

TASTING NOTES

A dusty red cherry, earth, leather and balsamic driven expression of Nebbiolo. A real old school trattoria-style expression of one of Italy's iconic wines.

A blend from the 2 Crus Gaia-Principe (planted in 1968) & Cottà (planted in 1995); partially made from owned vineyards, and partially form grapes bought from neighbours. All five different sites used are classified under the Barbaresco DOCG.

Following given the specifics of the vintage (record temperatures in the summer and perfect ripening), the wine was vinified in a careful way in order to avoid too much extraction: a fast fermentation for 7 days in stainless steel with temperate control, a short post-fermentation maceration of 3 days, and reduced ageing in oak. 1/3 of the wine was aged in old French oak tonneaux (400 l), and 2/3 in stainless steel vat for 14 months.

Taverna Wines, based in Neive (Barbaresco, Piedmont), is a winery with a colourful history. The family estate was founded in the 1930s by the grandfather of current owner Roberto Taverna. He bought and planted vineyards in one of the four villages of Barbaresco DOCG area. The family estate was among the first to bottle Barbaresco Cru wines, for example the “Cascina Slizza” (now part of Gaia-Principe MGA) back in 1974 under the name of Vina Versio, the founder’s widow.

Back when most winegrowers were selling the grapes or bulk wines, Vina was able to create and manage a pool of private clients. Vina was among the first who started bottling their own wine (in 750mL bottles) and even make Cru wines. She never remarried, kept managing the vineyards and making wines for 30 years until her son-in-law Piero Taverna took over the reigns and ran the estate for another 30 years. However, the first estate’s “official” vintage was not until 2016. Since 2019, with a new winemaker, Taverna Wines has started to vinify most of the estate's own grapes.

For the family, growing grapes and making and selling wine has always been a side business. Roberto Taverna, who officially became the owner of the estate in 1998, is an electrician, but when his turn came to run the winemaking, he decided to bring the estate to a new level. In 2016 he applied for an official bottler’s license and produced his first Barbaresco.

In 2019 he launched a partnership with Bisso, an internationally renowned wine critic & ‘local’ winemaker. Father Piero still helps at the vineyards (nearly fulltime) and takes care of the private clients. Nonna Vina unfortunately passed away in August 2021, but always kept offering her advice on every vat sample.