2018 Ca del Baio - Barbaresco Riserva Vallegrande

The 2018 Ca’ del Baio Barbaresco Riserva Vallegrande captures the refined elegance of Piedmont’s left-bank Nebbiolo, delivering precise dark cherry, wild rose, and sun-dried herb character backed by silky, well-integrated tannins.

Sourced from a south-facing vineyard block built on Tortonian limestone and clay, this site produces Barbaresco with earlier approachability and pronounced floral lift compared to the heavier southern appellations. The 2018 vintage contributed clean sugar accumulation and natural acidity, resulting in a balanced structure that transitions smoothly from the first sip through the final pour. Prolonged maturation in large neutral Slavonian oak preserves the grape’s native aromatics while adding layered texture.

Tasting notes: A medium-to-full bodied silhouette guided by vibrant acidity. Front flavors highlight dried plum, violet petal, and tobacco leaf, while the mid-palate introduces savory forest floor, cracked black pepper, and a distinct chalky minerality. The finish remains clean, long, and quietly structured.

Suggested foods: This wine’s firm but polished tannic backbone requires substantial protein and fat to harmonize. Decant for thirty minutes before serving at sixty to sixty-five degrees Fahrenheit to soften any early closure and open the aroma profile. Recommended matches includebraised rabbit with juniper, wild mushroom and chestnut risotto, truffle agnolotti, slow-roasted wild boar, or aged Pecorino Toscano with honeyed walnuts.