- Rive Barbera d'Asti DOC 2002

Colour / Colore:

Deep and intense ruby red colour, with purple highlights.

Aroma / Profumo:

Vibrant aromas of black cherries and prunes, with toasty undertones and a touch of mint in the glass.

Palate / Gusto:

This Barbera is medium-bodied with an abundance of ripe, fruity prunes and black cherries showing through on the palate. Dry with well-balanced acidity, and fruit well integrated into a creamy rich nutty texture, this wine has developed with great structure and lingers on the palate with an almond twist and warm spicy notes.

Ageing potential / Invecchiamento:

This wine is ready to drink now and will also develop well for another three to five years if carefully cellared.

Vineyard / Vigneto:

Barbera fruit for the 2000 Rive came from the Rive Vineyard (Piemontese for 'very steep'), and the Baldizzone Vineyard. These vineyards are in the communes of Montabone and Castel Boglione respectively. The Rive Vineyard is situated at an altitude of 450m with south facing slopes and clay soils, producing low crops, around 50hl/ha, from 50-year-old vines. The Baldizzone Vineyard also faces south, but is more gently sloping, with 70-year-old vines producing low-cropped fruit from clay soils.

Wine making / Vinificazione:

The grapes for the 2000 Rive were handpicked, de-stemmed and crushed and then inoculated with selected yeasts. The must was then fermented in temperature controlled stainless steel vats with pumping over four times a day. The wine was pressed just before dryness and then racked to a mixture of new (2/3) and one year old (1/3) French oak barriques where it underwent malolactic fermentation and aged for 18 months. Following bottling, the wine was left to develop in bottle for 6 months before being released.

Analysis at harvest / Analisi sull'uva:

Analysis on wine / Analisi sul vino: