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Wine Review Online

Michael Franz

2018 Barbaresco Riserva

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The 2018 vintage in the area around Alba — including Barbaresco, Barolo and Roero, most notably — was one that has become known for ripe, soft, early-drinking renditions of Nebbiolo due to serious heat and early ripening. The converse of this is that it doesn’t much seem like a “Riserva year” — though this is a wine that raises some second thoughts about that premise. It is indeed soft in texture, with silky tannins and open flavors, yet there’s no hint of over-ripeness here. That’s a key point, especially in vintages such as 2018, because many vintners in the area start their Riserva wines by leaving fruit that’s directed toward these bottlings for a week or longer before harvesting. Sometimes that works wonderfully well, and sometimes it leads to sub-standard wines even from otherwise excellent producers. The upshot is that Riserva isn’t a reliable category from Barbaresco, Barolo or Roero, and yet this is a very successful specimen of the breed. Situated in physical terms between light- and medium-bodied for Nebbiolo, it shows very nicely interlaced aromas and flavors of red cherries and berries, delicate spices, very subtle oak influence, and savory undertones recalling wild mushrooms. Delicious.

93

points

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