2019 Nada, Fiorenzo - Barbaresco Montaribaldi (750ml)

The Nada family has worked the hills above Treiso since 1921, when Carlo Nada bought a farm on what is now the celebrated Rombone slope. His son Fiorenzo, for whom the estate is named, expanded the family's holdings through the 1960s while still selling most of the fruit to other producers, and it was Fiorenzo's son Bruno who bottled the first wines under the family name in 1982. Bruno's son Danilo now leads the winery, having left a sommelier post at a three-Michelin-starred restaurant to return home and take over the vineyards.

Montaribaldi is something of an outlier in the Nada portfolio, a cru located in the commune of Barbaresco itself rather than the cooler slopes of Treiso where the family is based. The vines were planted in 1956 on calcareous soil, facing south at roughly 240 meters of altitude, giving the wine a warmer, more open character than the estate's home vineyards. Ageing takes place over 24 months in large, neutral oak casks with no new wood, followed by another six months resting in bottle before release.

The wine pours a bright garnet red and offers a perfumed mix of dark cherry, licorice, rose petal, and warm spice. The palate is elegant rather than powerful, with fine tannins and real length. Pour it alongside roast pork, grilled veal, or a well-aged Toma cheese.