2014 Vigneti Massa Colli Tortonesi Barbera Monleale
Regular price $36.00
In Stock: 5
Walter Massa, in the Colli Tortonesi (Tortona Hills) of southeast Piemonte, is the universally-acknowledged Maestro of Timorasso – the man who rescued what is arguably Piemonte’s most noble white grape variety from extinction in the 1970s and then, through relentless experimentation and effort in the vineyard and in the cellar, brought it to prominence as one of the great white wines of Italy. But he is equally proud of his Barberas and has shown that the Colli Tortonesi is a great terroir for this sometimes undersung variety.
‘Monleale’ is both the name of Massa’s village and an official subzone of the Colli Tortonesi for barbera. Massa’s Monleale is from several plots of 20 to 60 year old vines. It ages for two years in a range of used barrels, from 228-liter barriques to puncheons and small botti, and then, crucially, for a bunch more years in bottle until Walter deems the wine ready to drink. The result of this long aging is a complex and harmonious wine of both power and elegance: Black fruits, dark earth, and exotic spices, with barbera’s characteristic brightening acidity (even after nine years of aging). Pour it into a Bordeaux glass or other large stem and have it with a hearty winter meat or vegetable stew, including the traditional Piemontese chickpea stew cisrà. Although the wine is mature, it’s by no means finished evolving; you could profitably wait several years to a decade before opening it.Shipping calculated at checkout.