2021 Produttori del Barbaresco - Barbaresco DOCG Riserva Asili (750ml)

Produttori del Barbaresco was founded in 1958, when the village priest, Don Fiorino Marengo, gathered local growers to make wine together in the basement of his church rectory. That humble start grew into one of Italy's most respected cooperatives, now farming around 100 hectares across the appellation's finest terroir, with roughly a third of its production reserved for single-vineyard Riservas made only in the best vintages, of which Asili is often considered the most celebrated.

Asili occupies a sheltered, bowl-shaped hollow just south of the Barbaresco commune, its southwest-facing slopes protected from wind and excess humidity. The vineyard's clay-limestone soil, threaded with sandy veins, is naturally poor, a quality that lends the finished wine an unusual depth of minerality. Fermentation takes place in steel before the wine moves to large oak barrels for roughly three years, followed by further time resting in bottle, a slow, traditional process that has defined Asili since its first single-vineyard release in 1970.

The 2021 is perfumed and elegant, with violet, wild rose, and cake spice on the nose leading into ripe cherry, raspberry, blood orange, and warm baking spice on the palate. Youthfully taut tannins and bright acidity suggest real aging potential. It pairs beautifully with truffled pasta, roasted game, or aged pecorino.