Traditional Nebbiolo from the commune of Barbaresco is one of the world’s great red wines. That’s why we were delighted, in fact super excited, to discover that a local importer and friend of SommSelect has a small stash of Cascina delle Rose’s two Barbaresco crus from vintages going back over a decade.

This family owned estate is a 5 hectare property in the Rio Sordo Valley, where they are known for the Rio Sordo and Tre Stelle crus – in fact they are the only ones to release a Tre Stelle cru Barbaresco. Their small production focuses on Barbaresco from both the clay soils of the vineyard Rio Sordo and the calcareous soils of the Tre Stelle vineyard. These steep, hillside vineyards are all worked by hand; grapes are harvested, de-stemmed, and fermented with natural yeasts. They are then aged for 20-22 months in large botti, mostly Slavonian with a few Swiss casks. 

These bottles are elegant, aromatic knockouts that are all hitting their peak drinking windows, but will continue to age gracefully for another 5-10 years. Oh, and the pricing is fantastic. Cru Barbaresco from a top producer with bottle age for under $100 . . . amazing! And the very limited magnums are an even better bang for your buck. We also have some back vintage Langhe Nebbiolo from the generationally great 2016 vintage, made entirely from declassified fruit of the Rio Sordo vineyard. It's also a tremendous value.