2017 Punset - Barbaresco DOCG Basarin (750ml)

Punset takes its name from a Piedmontese dialect word the Counts of Neive used for the rounded hill where the estate sits, overlooking the village of Neive in the heart of the Langhe. The Marcarino family has farmed these vineyards for generations, but Marina Marcarino transformed the property by converting it to organic farming in the early 1980s, when the practice was almost unknown in Barbaresco. Punset went on to make the first certified organic Barbaresco. Marina also uses biodynamic preparations and follows the “do-nothing” farming philosophy of Masanobu Fukuoka.

This 100% Nebbiolo comes from Punset’s parcels in the Basarin cru, a steep, sunny slope on the San Cristoforo hill that faces mainly southeast. The grapes are picked in mid-October and fermented with native yeasts in cement tanks, with no temperature control. The wine stays on its skins for 30 to 40 days. It then ages at least 30 months in Slavonian oak casks and about as long again in bottle, which earns it the Riserva designation.

2017 was a warm vintage, but this Barbaresco stays fresh and balanced. It has aromas of rose petals, dried cherry and gentle spice over earth, black tea and leather. The tannins are silky and soft, and lively acidity gives it elegance without making it fragile. Decant before serving and pair with game, roast pork or aged cheeses.