Produttori del Barbaresco Riserva ‘Montestefano’ 2021

Why is this Wine so Yummy?

The wines of Produttori del Barbaresco were my first introduction to Barbaresco. The good bit was being introduced to a producer that is now a staple in my cellar. The bad bit was all of the lesser Barbaresco I tried after that. They had set the bar high!

Barbaresco is often considered the poor cousin to Barolo. That it certainly is not! The benefit for us is the marketing hype around Barolo which is often deserved and sometimes not help keep prices of Barbaresco reasonable. Produttori produces what are undoubtedly some of the best value Barbarescos available today.

There really is an incredible amount of wisdom in Aldo Vacca’s winemaking.

A rare opportunity to try the best Crus from across Barbaresco, and, explore the diversity of personalities in the wines of the region, from feminine, and, perfumed, to brooding and structured.

They are all excellent wines of distinction, with a few more years in the bottle they will be a truckload of fun.

Aldo Vacca has deftly brought the Produttori del Barbaresco into modern times while making subtle changes to farming and winemaking yet maintaining the traditional style that has made this coop so adored by its rabidly loyal fan base. The changes at Produttori have been gradual to the degree they aren’t always so noticeable, but they are there. No one knows every nook and cranny of Barbaresco better than Aldo Vacca, but Vacca has also proven to be incredibly wise in making choices that have positioned the Produttori for much continued success in the future. I can’t think of too many wines that deliver this much pleasure and value. Antonio Galloni

The 2021 Vintage at Produttori del Barbaresco

This is a superb set of new releases from the Produttori del Barbaresco cooperative. The Produttori remain the single most important producer in Barbaresco because of the quality of their wines and the scale of their deep reach into many markets around the world.

The Produttori’s 2021 Riservas are fabulous. It’s an extremely consistent vintage across all nine wines, something that does not always happen. For example, the Pora—which is the first of the wines in the tasting and often relatively soft—is especially serious. Production for the nine Riservas is down a bit, as 2021 required some selection compared to vintages of similar quality, most notably 2016, where more lots made the cut. The 2021 Riservas spent around 28 days on the skins, including submerged cap maceration. Malolactic fermentations were done in tank and finished by the end of the year, after which the wines were racked to allow for a natural decantation over winter. The wines were barreled down in April and spent 30 months in 25HL French oak casks before being bottled with no fining or filtration.

Lastly, but certainly not least, Aldo Vacca will retire at the end 2025 after a brilliant career that spanned 34 years with the Produttori, during which he presided over the most important period in the winery’s history. It’s safe to say that no one has done more for the reputation of Barbaresco and its wines globally than Aldo Vacca, among those producers who are still active. I have always admired Vacca’s candor, humility and no-nonsense approach, qualities that are at times exceedingly rare in the world of wine.

Antonio Galloni, Vinous

The two thousand and twenty-one vintage began with a mild winter, though plenty of rain and two snow storms ensured an excellent supply of water, which proved to be essential over the course of the rest of the season, mainly dry.
A mild month of March was followed by a cooler than average April and May, with limited rainfall and chilly nights and brisk mornings until the beginning of June.

Despite the cool Spring weather, the Nebbiolo variety, which is an early developer and therefore potentially more at risk, was not significantly affected and flowering and setting went on normally. The crop load though, was not too high – an estimated 10% lower than in 2020 – reducing the need for green harvesting and giving a naturally balance yield in most of the vineyard sites. June brought warmer weather and a couple of short rainstorms and was followed by a warm, but below average July. Over all a nice summer, dry, but never too hot. An intense rainstorm come on August 2nd, with limited, localized hail damage. The middle of August, second and third week, was the hottest time of the year when the maximum temperatures were close to 35°C/95°F. First half of September remained warm while the second half brought the cooler nights so important for a proper Nebbiolo maturation.

The harvesting of Nebbiolo began on October 6th and it was over in Barbaresco by October 18th. The grapes were healthy, with optimal phenological maturity facilitated by the intense day-night temperature variations. In terms of quantity, crop loads were optimal and well-balanced, with visibly smaller berries than last year. These factors resulted in a strong polyphenolic content, essential to produce wines of structure and balance intended for lengthy ageing.

In conclusion, we can say that remarkable results have been achieved in terms of the quality of the grapes, which will produce excellent Barbaresco wines with intense aromatic complexity.

From Produttori del Barbaresco

A bit about Nebbiolo

Nebbiolo is an incredibly challenging grape variety to grow, make, and, as a consumer, sometimes, to drink and understand.

The name incorporates ‘Nebbia’ or cloud. Driving the vineyard clad hills of Barolo or Barbaresco in Piemonte (at the foot of the mountain), you’ll often find yourself immersed in clouds! A function of the topography and the region being surround by mountains on three sides.

Nebbiolo wines tend to focus more on what we call secondary characters, earthy, truffles, violets, woody herbs, tar. The texture / mouthfeel is a hallmark of Nebbiolo. They can be extremely tannic demanding rich food to balance them, and time in the bottle to soften. No matter the quantity of tannin, the best Nebbiolo wines will always have incredible quality, depth and length of tannin.

The bunches and berries are much larger than most of the French varieties. The colour of Nebbiolo wines can range from deep and dark to rusty tap water! Yet, a pale colour is often no indicator of the depth of flavour or quality of the wine.

A bit about Barbaresco

The area of Barbaresco is only 10min from Barolo, the difference in soil and weather can mean one may have a great year whilst the other is average.

Barbaresco DOCG regulations allow for wine to be released a year earlier than Barolo.

There is no doubt that the great Barbaresco’s are every bit as good as the great Barolo’s.

As a generalisation, Barbaresco tends to be less tannic and more approachable as younger wines. This has absolutely no impact on the ability of Barbaresco to age.