Barolo Riserva 2010 with a velvety mouthfeel and rich flavours of blackberry, white pepper and balsamic vinegar. One of only 1,026 bottles

This limited edition Barolo comes from a south-facing vineyard in the La Morra village, ensuring optimum sun exposure for depth of flavour.

Winemaking

Demarie Barolo Riserva is made in the "traditional" Barolo style. The process starts with long fermentation at cool temperatures (24-25°C) followed by 30 days macerating on the skins. Alcohol maximises the extraction of tannin supercharging the resulting wine. While these tannins give the wine more power and complexity, it needs a lot of ageing time to become truly enjoyable.

After maceration, Barolo Riserva spends the next five years of its life in old, 2,500 litre Slavonian oak barrels. The slow oxidative ageing process gradually softens the harsh tannins, contributing hints of smoke, white pepper, and sandalwood. Old oak is used on purpose. Over five years, young oak would over-saturate the wine with its flavours and ruin the prized fragrance of Nebbiolo. Finally, the wine is bottled, and left to age for six more years in the cellar.

Tasting notes

This Barolo Riserva offers flavours of blackberry preserve, sweet pastry and white pepper, supported by notes of old leather, and balsamic vinegar. The wine has a velvety texture, and a long finish with notes of dried forest berries and sweet pipe tobacco.

Awards

Decanter World Wine Awards 2022 – Silver Medal (2010 vintage) | Gilbert & Gaillard – 92 points (2012 vintage) | James Suckling – 91 points (2012 vintage) | Falstaff Magazin – 92 points (2011 vintage)

Powerful single-vineyard Barolo from Monforte d'Alba. Dark and smoky, with flavours of blueberry, blackberry and espresso.

The Broccardo family own four cru vineyards in Barolo: San Giovanni, San Pietro, Ravera and Paiagallo. Each has its own distinct character, which come through in the wines. This one is from San Giovanni - a cru vineyard planted with 30 year old vines sitting at an altitude of 400 metres in north-west Monforte.

Winemaking

Grapes for Broccardo Barolo San Giovanni are harvested in the second half of October. They are fermented in stainless steel vats for 15 days, at a controlled temperature of 28°C. The wine is matured in a combination of large French and Slavonian oak barrels for 24 months. Finally, the wine is aged in bottle for 24 months in the cellar.

Tasting note

This powerful Barolo boasts dark, smoky flavours and mouth-drying tannins. It offers aromas of blackberry, blueberry preserve, dark roast espresso, black pepper and juniper berry. Barolo San Giovanni has lots of flavour, and there's nothing subtle or gentle about this wine. Take a sip and hold tight.

Awards

Decanter World Wine Awards - Silver Medal (2017 vintage) | James Suckling - 93 points (2017 vintage) | Gambero Rosso - Two Glasses (2017 vintage)

As seen in The Guardian - an elegant and complex Barbera, flavours of fresh raspberry, cherry and vanilla

"This version of barbera, sourced from two south-facing vineyards, is so alluring, its deliciously tangy cherry and savoury notes taking you straight to the rolling hills around Alba." - The Guardian

This delicious Barbera wine is made from 100% Barbera grapes grown in two cru vineyards: Fausoni and San Cristoforo, located west of the town of Neive.

Both vineyards are located on two steep hills facing South-East, a very favourable aspect that helps the grapes to ripen well. As a result, the wine is well-balanced and fresh, with elegant and pronounced aromas of fruits and spices.

The name of the wine, “The Patriarchs”, is dedicated to Alberto and Adriano Francone, who founded this award-winning winery seventy years ago.

Winemaking

The grapes are hand-harvested in early October, and fermented with traditional maceration for ten days. The wine is then matured for 12 months, partly in large French oak barrels that lend a subtle flavour, and partly in small barriques which impart more poignant flavours of vanilla and cinnamon.

Tasting notes

Medium ruby colour. Pronounced and complex aromas of raspberry, red cherry and strawberry, with delicate hints of cinnamon, cloves, vanilla and leather. The wine is dry and full-bodied, with a pronounced flavour intensity, which balances the natural high acidity and freshness of the Barbera grape. Medium tannins are rounded through careful ageing. The wine has a long – and highly enjoyable – finish.

Awards

Decanter World Wine Awards 2021 - Bronze Medal (2019 vintage) | The WineHunter - Rosso (2019 vintage) | I Vini Di Veronelli - 2 stars (2018 vintage) | Luca Maroni (Italian wine critic) - 94 points (2017), 92 points (2018)

Old-vine Barbaresco Riserva with firm tannins and flavours of chocolate and black truffle

Paolo Demarie's Barbaresco Riserva comes from an old-vine vineyard, planted in the 1960s. It sits 1 km east of Neive, across the Tinella stream on the Canova hills. The vineyard looks south-east, facing the morning sun.

The soil is Tortonian, composed of limestone-rich, sandy Sant’Agata Fossili Marls. Soils on this side of Neive are known to produce age-worthy Barbaresco wines with powerful tannins. Thanks to the higher content of sand, the wines are more fruity and perfumed.

Winemaking

For his Riserva wine, Paolo uses the traditional technique. This is based on long fermentation and maceration, which maximises the extraction of tannin and flavour.

First, the wine is fermented at 23-24°C for 25 days, and then macerates on the skins for a further 25 days. The newly made wine has so much tannin that it needs to spend a long time in oak to mellow. This Barbaresco Riserva is aged for two years in 10-year-old Slavonian barrels, which helps to preserve - rather than dominate - Nebbiolo's precious aromas.

Ultimately, the wine spends fifteen years in the cellar, maturing at the perfect temperature in bottle.

Tasting notes

This old-vine Barbaresco Riserva has a translucent tawny shade. It has firm tannins and tastes of chocolate brownie, truffle and gently spiced poached plum, complemented by hints of cinnamon and pepper.

Awards

Decanter World Wine Awards 2022 – Silver Medal (2008 vintage) | James Suckling – 90 points (2008 vintage) | Wine Enthusiast - 90 points (2006 vintage) | Falstaff Magazin – 93 points (2007 vintage) | Jancis Robinson - 17.5/20 points (2007 vintage)

Gorgeous UK-exclusive sparkling rosé made from the powerful Nebbiolo grape

This sparkling rosé wine from award-winning winemaker Fabrizio Francone is a delightfully unusual bubbly. It is made from Nebbiolo, which is normally reserved for the legendary reds of Piedmont: Barolo and Barbaresco.

Winemaking

Valsellera is crafted using the classic method - similar to the way Champagne is made. The grapes were hand-harvested in late summer from the winemaker's family vineyard in Neive. After crushing, the juice was left in contact with the skins for a few hours to absorb the distinctive Nebbiolo flavours, and then fermented at 16°C. Finally, it was aged in the bottle on its lees for three years - a very long period for a rosé. This extended ageing smoothens the muscular and coarse tannins Nebbiolo is famous for, and helps the wine to develop a velvety, delicate character.

Tasting notes

In the glass, this Nebbiolo bubbly has a bright ruby-pink colour. A fresh violet floral nose with a core of bitter red grapefruit, lingering notes of wild strawberry balanced by a lick of sweet vanilla. Fine mousse and impressive structure reflecting long ageing sur lie.

Awards

Decanter World Wine Awards 2022 - Bronze Medal (NV) | Falstaff Magazin 2021 - 93 points | I Vini Di Veronelli 2021 - 2 stars

Award-winning single-vineyard Barolo wine from the Ravera cru. Flavours of rose, red cherry, chocolate and espresso.

This Barolo wine comes from the Ravera cru in Novello. The vineyard is planted at an altitude of 390 metres, and has a south-facing exposure. The vines are 25 years old, and Guyot-trained.

Winemaking

The Broccardo family style is to preserve and capture the nuances of each cru vineyard they own. This Barolo Ravera is no different. After the grapes are pressed, the juice is drained by gravity. Filippo Broccardo, the winemaker, doesn't use mechanical pumps so that the juice is not "disturbed".

Fermentation takes place in stainless steel vats for 15 days, at a controlled temperature of 25-29 °C. During this period, the cap is punched down once every day. This helps the wine to absorb more colour and flavour from the skins. This Barolo wine is aged in a combination of large French and Slavonian oak barrels for 24 months. Finally, the wine is bottled and ages for another 24 months.

Only 3,000 bottles of Broccardo Barolo Ravera are produced each year.

Tasting notes

This Barolo wine has a typical garnet colour, but of a slightly darker hue. Straight out of the bottle, this Barolo Ravera bursts with aromas of rose, red cherry, mint and dried cranberry, with tempting notes of chocolate cherry liqueurs and espresso.

Awards

Decanter World Wine Awards - Silver Medal (2017 vintage) | The WineHunter – Rosso (2017 vintage) | James Suckling - 93 points (2017 vintage) | Wine Enthusiast - 91 points (2017 vintage) | Gambero Rosso - Two Red Glasses (2017 vintage)