Serafino Rivella Barbaresco ‘Montestefano’ 2015

Why is this Wine so Yummy?

About Serafino Rivella

A tiny cult producer of Barbaresco at the Montestefano Cru

Everything at the winery is done by Teobaldo and his wife Maria – they are both entirely hands on and make just two wines – the Barbaresco Montestefano and their Dolcetto d’Alba

“Imagine if Maria-Theresa Mascarello [of Bartolo Mascarello] made Barbaresco, it would taste like that!”. David Berry Green who heads up the Italian Wine purchases for the esteemed Berry Brothers & Rudd, who also is the long time ‘significant other’ of Maria-Theresa.

The producer in reference was Teobaldo Rivella of Cantina Serafina Rivella.

Rivella’s tiny cellar produces about 1000 cases of wine each year, all heralding from the historic Cru of Montestefano in Barbaresco itself. Of the 1000 cases, about 750 are Barbaresco “Montestefano” and 250 are of a serious and regal Dolcetto. The vineyard was planted in 1963 by Rivella’s father, and the first vintage produced at the estate was 1967. His Montestefano parcel is next to his house, so he treats it, “come il mio giardino” (as my own little garden) he says, meticulously tended. Since the beginning, the vineyards have also been farmed organically.

The Montestefano Cru is unique in that is comprised of a solid meter of active limestone at the surface with clay and tufo underneath. This provides for a wine that has both freshness and lift, but also a bit more serious structure than most Barbarescos. Rivella vinifies more like Barolo, with 3-4 week macerations and long aging of 30-40 months in Botti Grande. As such, he tends to release his wines a year later than his neighbors, more like his brethren further south in Barolo. The Dolcetto too is aged in large cask, and released 18 months after the vintage. Not just a tutti-fruity wine to simply drink and forget.

In getting to know Rivella and his wines over the past several years, one gets a glimpse at the Piedmont of yesteryear. The wines and the people are unabashedly ‘old-school’ in the best sense. There is a sense of strength, pride and character in how they operate.

The 2015 Barbaresco Vintage

From Antonio Galloni

The 2015 Barbarescos in Bottle…There’s a Lot to Talk About

Two thousand fifteen was marked by mostly warm and dry conditions that were a welcome respite after the considerable stress of 2014. The growing season started with significant rain and snow in the winter of 2014/2015 that would prove to be critical later on. Warm weather at the beginning of the year caused the vines to awaken early. The critical periods of budbreak, flowering and fruit set all benefited from benign conditions. Sustained heat followed from late June and all through July, which accelerated the final phase of ripening and ultimately led to an early harvest. Water reserves accumulated throughout the winter became essential during the very dry summer months.

The first thing that is obvious about the 2015s is that most of the wines are pretty elegant. In other words, there is huge difference between how growers deal with a warm vintage today and how they responded to similar conditions in the 1990s and 2000s, when the preference was to make huge, potent wines. Broadly speaking, the 2015s are generous Barbarescos with soft curves and a good bit of fruit intensity, but they aren’t overdone. The finest 2015s are rich, ample and quite giving, with perhaps just a touch less site-specific detail than in cooler years. But there are also some disappointments. The hot weather appears to have blocked ripening in several spots. I tasted a number of wines that are unusually forward in both their color and overall freshness. These wines often show modest structure and a candied fruit profile.  As a whole, the 2015s are marked by tannins that are slightly coarse, especially in comparison with 2016, a year in which the long growing season allowed for far more consistent ripening. The best 2015s have enough fruit to provide a measure of balance, but in less successful wines the quality of the tannins is much more evident.

Where in the World are Olek Bondonio & Serafino Rivella?

Look for the township of Barbaresco and just to the east you’ll find the famed Cru of Montestefano. Head south along west border of the region and you’ll find Roncaglietti named Sori Tildin by Gaja. In the center north in the commune of Nieve you’ll find Straderi.