Thursday, January 28, 2010

Seghesio Aldo e Riccardo Barbera d'Alba DOC 2007



Italy has such an amazing variety of wine grapes. One of the true workhorses that most serious drinkers and Italian wine lovers know, but that many casual drinkers are not necessarily familiar with is Barbera. Barbera is grown in many areas of Italy, and for many years it was used to make high volume, second-rate wine. In recent years, though, the quality of wine made from this grape has improved dramatically. The best Barbera is grown in Piedmont in the Barbera d’Asti and Barbera d’Alba regions – thank you Italy for actually putting the name of the grape on the name of the region in this case to keep it simple for us! Barbera wines are generally medium bodied with a variety of red and black fruit flavors and very nice acidity that makes it rather food friendly. As a rule it is a wine that can be enjoyed in its youth but doesn’t necessarily have to be drunk young.

Seghesio Barbera D’Alba 2007 is a deep purple red in your glass. The bouquet brings cherry, blackberry, and blueberry fruit with some subtle leather. On the palate, the blackberry fades into the background, and the black cherry and blueberry fruit dominate along with a strong earthy component on the finish. The tannins are mild and nice acidity adds some balance to this wine. Overall, this is a nice wine that doesn’t knock my socks off, but it provides some complexity and a decent value at a price point just under $15. I should also note that I drank my first glass with minimal decanting, and it was definitely a little tight and harsh at first. It was much better after about 45 minutes.

This is a little darker and more full bodied than most Barbera, and it would pair pretty well with pasta with a classic Bolognese sauce.


If you're interested in seeing some other great Italian wines, see this link http://acoupleofwines.blogspot.com/search/label/Italy

Cheers!

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