Cappellano Barbera d'Alba Gabutti

Frequently, Barbera in the Langhe is treated either very simplistically, with a vinification and brief passage in stainless steel, or very lavishly, with heavy-handed extraction and long aging in barrels that signify their newness without subtlety. Cappellano, however, takes a simpler approach: he treats it just like his Barolo, with a lengthy maceration and a multi-year passage in large neutral casks. The resultant wine is always astonishing in its depth, showing the complexity this variety can achieve when grown in a great terroir such as Gabutti and treated with unflashy reverence. It is always worth holding this Barbera benchmark for a few years before opening, as time allows it to soften its edges and articulate its noble origins with greater force.