2021 Cantina del Pino Barbaresco - Gallina

Cantina del Pino (“winery of the pine tree”) represents a history repeated many times in the hills of Barbaresco: Multiple generations work their small, polycultural farms and confer the nebbiolo grapes from their vineyards to the Produttori del Barbaresco cooperativo (which remains one of the best grower cooperatives in Italy and one of the top producers of Barbaresco). Then an ambitious son or daughter makes the momentous decision to produce and bottle the family’s own wine. In this case it was Giuseppe Vacca who bought the property in 1920 and his great-grandson Renato who persuaded his father in 1997 that they should launch their family wine estate. Renato left us far too young in 2000, but his wife, Franca Miretti, has ably continued the work that they started together.

Gallina is one of three cru (single-vineyard) Barbarescos that Cantina del Pino produces, and the one that typically is the most expressive in its youth. Gallina is in the commune of Neive and has limestone marl and silty soils.

From Barbaresco MGA Menzioni Geografiche Aggiuntive: The  Encyclopedia of the Great Vineyards of Barbaresco: “Easily visible from many sides of the appellation, the low and twisting ridge of Gallina is, with every probability, the best known MGA of all of Neive. The high quality of the soil and the exposures (even the part which turns towards Barbaresco is open and luminous) combine to produce wines whose superior finesse is comparable to those of Asili, though with a bit more roundness and, at times, with a bit less tannic bite and aging ability.”

The wine macerated with the skins for 20 days and then aged for 24 months in botti grandi (the large oak barrels traditionally used for aging Barbaresco and Barolo). It is delicious and expressive now, with plush and well-balanced tannins, and will age positively for at least two decades. Drink it in a Burgundy stem with braised beef, mushroom risotto, or an aged cheese.