Produttori del Barbaresco 2015 Asili Barbaresco Riserva Premium Italian Wine Review

Barbaresco was recognized as a distinct region in 1894 and Domizio Cavazza is known as the father of Barbaresco. It was largely forgotten throughout the war years. In 1958, a priest called Don Fiorino recreated the Produttori del Babaresco cooperative with 19 growers.

Today PDB consist of over 50 wine grower and these wine growers own about 1/6 of the land in Barbaresco.

PDB is the protector of the Nebbiolo grape: all growers must only grow Nebbiolo grapes in Barbaresco and must give 100% of their grapes to PDB. Very characteristic flavors and aromas of Nebbiolo wines are roses, tar, cherry, strawberry, white truffles and licorice.

The Nebbiolo grape is either named after the "foggy" appearance of the skins on the grapes or the fog that covers the region, which helps the growth process of the grape by moderating temperature. Because of its lower altitude and proximity to Tanaro River, Barbaresco grapes tends to be picked earlier than Barolo grapes, thus they will be more acidic and less complex.

PDB total production is about 45,000 cases annually with 50% used to produced Barbaresco 20% used to produce Nebbiolo Langhe and 30% used to produce single vineyard Nebbiolo.

PDB produces 9 single vineyard Barbaresco wines. Asili was first released in 1970. It is a Riserva wine that spend 36 months in oak, then 9 months in bottle before release. PDB's holdings in Asili is quite small (only 15 hectares) so only 9000 bottles of this wine are produced each year. Asili lies about 280 metres above sea level, which is relatively high for Barbaresco. Its soil is clay marl with a bit of limestone, which gives the wine its distinctive perfume and raciness. It is probably the most complex and elegant of PDB's cru vineyards and along with Rabaja, is probably the crown jewels in its vineyard holdings.

For more information about this winery, please visit their website at www.produttoridelbarbaresco.com