2019 E. Pira & Figli (Chiara Boschis) Barbera d'Alba Superiore

Community Tasting Notes (6) Avg Score: 90.2 points

• Options

  • Post a Comment
  • View Junior1961's profile
  • Report Issue

  9/12/2023 - Junior1961 Likes this wine: 92 Points

  Tart cherry. Herbal notes. Great acidity and medium body. Gastronomic.

  Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment

• Options

  • Post a Comment
  • View forceberry's profile
  • Report Issue

  11/15/2022 - forceberry wrote: 90 Points

  Made with organically farmed estate fruit. After the fermentation and maceration on the skins, the wine is aged for 12 months in 2nd use French oak barrels. The wine is blended together and left to marry for 2-3 months in stainless steel tanks before bottling. 14% alcohol.
  
  Deep, luminous and completely clear yet almost fully opaque black ruby color. The nose feels very youthful and even slightly primary with aromas of blueberries and blackberry marmalade, some ripe black cherry tones, a little bit of asphalt, light smoky nuances, a hint of alcohol, a touch of savory wood spice and a lifted, perfumed whiff of violets. The wine feels firm, dry and very focused on the palate with a medium body and a taste that doesn't feel nearly as primary as the nose does. There are flavors of brambly black raspberries, some blueberry tones, a little bit of sour cherry bitterness, light crunchy notes of crowberries and fresh red plums, a hint of savory wood spice and a touch of alcohol warmth. The structure relies almost completely on its high acidity, as its tannic structure feels very light, supple and gentle. Despite its noticeable ripeness and quite juicy nature, the wine feels more lithe than fat. The finish is dry, juicy and ripe with bright flavors of brambly raspberries and sweeter blackberries, some crunchy notes of sour red plums, a little bit of tart lingonberry, a hint of bilberry and a touch of gravelly minerality.
  
  A surprisingly sophisticated, balanced and tasty Barbera. Its nose didn't promise much with its sweet, almost candied primary aromas. However, the wine turned out to be nicely balanced and savory on the palate, very true to the variety with its dark-toned berry flavors, acid-driven overall character and very gentle tannins. I was a bit afraid the wine would be on the rather oaky side, but the oak influence turned out to be very judicious here - and most likely the little wood impact that shows now will integrate with the fruit if the wine is left to age in a cellar. A very nice effort that drinks really well right now, but will continue to improve for another decade or so. Recommended.

  1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No / Comment

• Options

  • Post a Comment
  • View Ianjaig's profile
  • Report Issue

  5/31/2022 - Ianjaig Does not like this wine: 83 Points

  Not a fan of this. Green, thin and sweet. Unpleasant.

  Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment

• Options

  • Post a Comment
  • View Binder's profile
  • Report Issue

  2/20/2022 - Binder Likes this wine: 91 Points

  Very juicy, very enjoyable, good match for slightly spicy food.

  Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment

• Options

  • Post a Comment
  • View MC2 Wines's profile
  • Report Issue

  11/30/2021 - MC2 Wines wrote:

  Return to Piemonte!; 11/25/2021-12/4/2021 (Castello di Sinio, Alba, other various locations): I am not a Barbera drinker so take this note with a grain of salt if you are. This is a grape that I maybe am ok with 1 in 5 and maybe maybe 1 in 20 I understand enjoying it. This sadly was not the exception. I find oak can be very overwhelming with the grape especially because it seems like very little oak treatment can lead to quite a lot of oak flavor in the end product. I also find that a bit of oak seems to change the perception of the fruit from a more clear cranberry to more of a stewed fruit format. I think perhaps all of that hides the acidity which I generally would like. Different style.

  Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No / Comment

View all 6 Community Tasting Notes

Professional reviews have copyrights and you can view them here for your personal use only as private content. To view pro reviews you must either subscribe to a pre-integrated publication or manually enter reviews below. Learn more.