Tasting Report: The Greatest Vintage of Barbera Ever?
Great vintages of Barbera in Piedmont don't come along often, so the 2011 Barbera d'Alba and Barbera d'Asti should not be missed. The wines show great depth and richness with a lively acidity that grabs your attention.
"The 2011 vintage is a fabulous year for Barbera," says Roberto Conterno of Giacomo Conterno. He is better known for making some of the best Barolos in the area but his 2011 Barbera d'Alba Cascina Francia was one of my best Barberas tasted. I scored it 95 points.
The Giacomo Conterno Barbera d'Alba Cascina Francia 2011 shows why the vintage made amazing wines with so much fruit packed in the bottle but amazing freshness and crispness. It goes on for minutes on the palate.
Walter Fissore, the winemaker and part owner of Elvio Cogno, agreed: "The 2011 is really a great, great year. It was a hot growing season yet it was very cool at night and this helped to maintain the freshness in the grapes and, therefore, the freshness in the wines."
Fissore's old-vine 2011 Elvio Cogno Barbera d'Alba Pre-phylloxera – some are over 100 years old and still planted on their own rootstock – is an amazing red with such depth of flavor and bright acidity. It is truly of classic quality.
"This is such a great year for Barbera 2011," says Luca Currado of Vietti, one of the great Barbera producers. "You have to go back to 2007 and 2003 to find great wines like this. There is no exaggeration in the alcohol, and I really like the fruit in the wines."
There are dozens of outstanding 2011 Barberas below that you are not going to want to miss buying. I’ve also included some 2010s and 2009s.
In my opinion, the 2011 is the best of the last three great vintages for Barbera including 2007 and 2003, and it could be one of the greatest ever.
