2017 Produttori Del Barbaresco DOCG Riserva Ovello 6 x 750ml (In Bond)
One of the very finest and best-known producers in Barbaresco, it is also regarded as one of the greatest wine cooperatives in the world. There are 58 member growers with a combined total of around 100 hectares of vineyards. Produttori del Barbaresco makes nine different single-vineyard (cru) riserva Barbarescos in better vintages. These are all vinified and aged in the same style to highlight the differences in terroir.
A touch more structured and brooding than its siblings, the 2017 Ovello Riserva opens with aromas of dark cherry, dried rose, and a hint of violet, layered with graphite and a cool, stony edge.
On the palate it’s firm and tightly wound. Red and black cherry fruit sits beneath a framework of fine but assertive tannins, with notes of liquorice, spice and a subtle herbal lift. There’s a freshness running through it that keeps the wine precise, even in a warm year.
The finish is long, savoury and slightly austere for now, with a mineral note and a gentle grip that calls for food. Give it time in the glass—or a few more years in bottle—and it will open into something beautifully complex and composed.
