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May 15, 2013
Cascina delle Rose - Beautiful, Sensuous Barbaresco
On a plot of land that shares space among hazelnuts, vines, and a small forest, Giovanna Rizzolio and Italo Sobrino, with sons Davide and Riccardo, grow the grapes to make their haunting Cascina delle Rose Barbarescos, Barberas, and Dolcettos. Situated between the Rio Sordo and Tre Stelle appellations of Barbaresco, and surrounded by the alps, the estate produces ethereal wines with sophistication and aromatic intensity.
The family pays extreme respect not only to the grapes (which they farm organically) but also to the soil itself, noting that it is the striations and variations in the earth that bring complexity to the wine. They also practice minimalist winemaking to let the full expression of the terroir shine: grapes are hand harvested and fermented with indigenous yeasts in stainless steel. The juice is aged in Slavonian oak casks for two years.
The star of their cellar is Barbaresco, a lighter, feminine sister to Barolo. The Nebbiolo grape ripens earlier in Barbaresco, and receives a cooling influence from the nearby river Tanaro—all factors that contribute to a delicate-bodied wine with deep structure and flavor, and a wine that is a great red choice for picnics this summer. Fill up your baskets with salamis, hard cheeses, marinated mushrooms, and a few baguettes, and find a shady spot under a tree. You may not find yourself at the base of the Alps, exactly, but you’ll no doubt be enchanted by a beautiful wine that truly embodies the alluring earthiness of the region.
