Tacchino Barbera del Monferrato Albarola 2015

cooked plum, dried fig, cherry preserve, dark chocolate, and earth

This is one of the upper tier Tacchino wines we sampled with the distributor last year, and a compelling example of the Barbera del Monferrato DOC. Though the wines of Monferrato may not receive the same recognition as their cousins in Alba and Asti, it remains an ideal growing site for the Barbera grape, with its high elevation, calcium-rich soils, and low humidity. Romina and Alessio take full advantage of these factors to showcase the heights this variety can soar to if given the opportunity.

This wine is part of what the Tacchino family call their “Elite Collection,” a series of small-production wines that often see additional maturation before release. Similar to the “Buongiorno” detailed above, all fruit is cultivated organically, dry farmed, and harvested by hand, but comes from much older vines which helps to naturally reduce yields. The wine ferments in stainless steel and is racked to new and gently-used oak tonneau (500 liters) until the family deem it ready for bottling. Depending on the characteristics of the vintage, this wine can see several years of barrel maturation. The wine is then bottled ready to drink.

When you open this wine, you will definitely want to decant for at least half an hour in order to appreciate its aromatic complexity. Once this wine has some time to open up, it has a lot going on, with notes of cooked plum, dried fig, cherry preserve, dark chocolate, and earth. Drink now through 2027 with lamb chops, beef stroganoff, or cheeses and cured meats.