Barbera d’Alba DOC Superiore

Location: town of Barolo
Soil structure: clay-loam, sandy-loam
Trellising: Vertical canopy
Vineyard expansion: 2.1 ha
Pruning system: traditional Guyot
Exposure: a variation of Southeast and West

Planting with: 0.8 m X 2.5 m.
Altitude: 300 m
Plant density: 5,000 plants per hectare
Varietal: Barbera
Production: about 7,000 KG / ha
Rootstock clone: 420 A, SO4, K5BB
Year planted: 1942/1991

Soil characteristics
The SANT’AGATA FOSSIL MARL is the majority of the soil structure that characterizes the towns of Barolo and La Morra. Originated in the Tortonian age from a normal offshore sedimentation, it occurs more or less a sandy blue grey soil with local interbedded conglomeratic sandstone. A smaller part is represented by the DIANO SANDSTONE, that characterizes a part in the towns of Castiglione Falletto, Monforte d’Alba, and Barolo. It consists more or less of compact sand with a grey sandstone. The Barbera grapes produced in these conditions are of high quality with good acidity/sugar balance, especially in drier years.

Production process
Once the grapes arrive to the cellar they are immediately de-stemmed and crushed.
The must ferments for about 8-10 days. The maceration is normally prolonged for another 4-6 days, then the wine is maintained at a temperature of 18°C /64°F for the malolactic. Once the malolactic fermentation has finished the wine will go into our youngest (1-3 years) Slavonian oak barrels to rest for one year. Then after the wine will be bottled and let to rest another year in bottle before being placed on the market.

Serving recommendations
Barbera is widely considered to be one of the great red grapes of Italy.
The Barbera d’Alba Superiore is an important red wine of great structure, aged in oak with good aging ability. It is a wine that matches well with pasta dishes (tajarin with ragu, ravioli del plin) but it is also very common to enjoy this wine throughout the entire meal.