One of our top picks for the colder months at that sweet-spot, mid-range price point - Rossore is dark, brooding Piedmontese Barbera that sees a maturation in old barrels, adding many layers of complex cedar spice to wrap around the smoky red fruits. The barrels are not topped up which adds another, gently oxidative complexity. The wine is also aged in the bottle for a year before bottling, meaning it is really hitting its stride right now and provides incredible value at the price point. The tertiary notes of sweet leather that start to creep in to a wine like this with a little age are starting to show themselves. The whole thing sits in a really nice balance; instense, but not overworked. For those who look for a more robust, fuller-bodied red wine to spar with hearty food or to curl up in front of the fire with - this one is for you.
Iuli is certified organic in the vineyards, and the land surrounding the town of Montaldo has always been cultivated without chemicals for as long as even his father can remember. He is not, however, a fan of the bureaucracy and red-tape involved in certification at any level, preferring to let the wines speak for themselves: “I know how I make my wines, and want them to be as natural as possible – reflecting the territory and nature of the grape, and do not need this piece of paper to prove that.”
Fabrizio interferes as little as possible with the natural process of fermentation and ageing, uses natural yeasts, and does not fine or filter the wines. He believes the wine is ready in its own good time to go into the bottle and his role is to communicate (taste) with it along the way to find out how it is coming together. His use of barrels is sensitive; he allows the wine tell him when it is tired of the wood, and only then does he take it out. There is no formula for the ageing of the wines, each vintage is different and has its own unique time frame to age and mature before being put into the bottle.