Marchesi di Barolo Barbera d'Alba Ruvei 2015

Production Zone
The Barbera d’Alba is the most traditional wine among Piedmont wines. The grapes come from vineyards of mainly calcareous clay soils, alternating with layers of whitish marl, able to ensure the wine an excellent structure and to equip it with a vigorous but balanced character. The product specification allows for the vinification of Barbera d’Alba also with a small percentage (up to 15%) of Nebbiolo d’Alba, in order to increase finesse and elegance. The Cantine dei Marchesi di Barolo uses this opportunity, together with the selection of the locations of the vineyards and the attention to the perfect maturation of the grapes, the wine achieves more softness and structure, but with low acidity.

Cultivation of the Wineyard
The vines are grown with Guyot (VSP trellised) system with good slope.

Vinification
Grapes are collected exclusively by hand, quickly brought to the cellar for destalking and soft pressing to extract from the peel and the outer area of the grape only the most noble and aromatic fractions. Fermentation, at a controlled temperature, takes place in thermo-conditioned tanks. Maceration of the skins lasts 8 days, during which the fermenting juice is regularly recycled from the bottom to the top of the tank in order to integrate the tannins softly and extract the color slowly. This procedure is finished throughout when the wine is almost completely dry.

Aging
Aging in the traditional Slavonian oak barrels helps to make the wine more harmonious and increases the fineness of the bouquet. The sweet sensation is essentially due to the moderate acidity and to the delicacy of tannins. The Barbera d’Alba reaches maturity after 2 years after harvest and ripening is between 2 and 6 years.

Sensory characteristics
The color is ruby red with purple hues. The scent is fresh, with fruity notes reminiscent of blackberries, red fruit jam, spicy hints of vanilla and toasted hazelnut. The taste is full and rich, with a barely noticeable acidity. The woody note is well mixed with the remaining sensations.

Food Matches
Barbera is a wine for every meal, completes in every occasion. It goes well with tasty appetizers, pasta dishes with rich sauces and meat dishes, boiled or roasted, but also enhances the extremely traditional soups. It is also perfect for snacks with fresh meats and hard cheeses.

Serving temperature 18° degrees C. (64° F)