2021 Giordano - Barbaresco Asili (1.5L)

Luigi Giordano is a small, traditional family winery a stone’s throw from Barbaresco’s village center. Giovanni Giordano founded it in the 1930s, and his son Luigi made the bold move to bottle the family’s own wine in 1958, long before most Barbaresco growers did. Asili is perhaps the most celebrated cru in Barbaresco, and Giordano farms a half-hectare in a single block right in the middle of its amphitheater, terraced alongside Gaja, with a prime southeast exposure. Fermented a touch cooler to preserve finesse, then aged in large Slavonian oak botti, it’s the house’s most elegant wine. The 2021, from a classic Barbaresco vintage, shows rose petal and violet, strawberry, red cherry and pomegranate with cinnamon and a hint of licorice, plus silky, fine tannins. In magnum, it’s built for a long life in the cellar and makes a stunning centerpiece for the holiday table. Pair with prime rib, braised veal or truffled risotto.