2023 Rivetti, G.(La Spinetta) - Barbera d'Alba DOC Gallina (750ml)
La Spinetta’s story begins in the 1890s, when Giovanni Rivetti left Piedmont for Argentina, dreaming of one day making great wine at home. His son Giuseppe “Pin” realized that dream in 1977 at Castagnole Lanze, starting with single-vineyard Moscato. Today Giorgio, Bruno and Carlo Rivetti run about 100 hectares. Gallina in Neive was the first cru Giorgio acquired, in 1995, and Barbera d’Alba from this site has been made since 1997.
The 2023 La Spinetta Barbera d’Alba Gallina is 100% Barbera from 55-year-old vines in the center of the Gallina vineyard, a south-facing site on calcareous soil at 270 meters. Farming is practiced organic. Grapes are harvested from late September to early October and fermented for 11 days in rotofermenters. The wine ages 16 to 18 months in French oak barriques, 30% new and medium toast, and roughly 650 cases are made each year.
Ripe cherry and cinnamon lead the aromas, with dark red and violet fruit, rose petal and a hint of licorice. The palate is full-bodied and dense at 14.5% alcohol, yet carried by lively acidity and silky tannins. Texture is the signature here, plush but not heavy, with a bright floral lift on the finish.