Region: Barbera d’Alba DOC, Italy

Composition: 100% Barbera

History: The Cogno family has been making wine for four generations in Piedmonte. In 1990, Elvio Cogno left a long and fruitful association with the venerable producer of Barolo Marcarini in La Morra and purchased a splendid and historic 18th-century farmhouse atop Bricco Ravera, a hill near Novello in the Langhe area. . The estate was surrounded by 11 hectares of steeply sloping vineyards. Elvio restored the hacienda, converted the old granaries into cellars and founded his own winery. For the next 20 years he devoted himself to the winemaking traditions passed down to him by his father and grandfather. Elvio has now passed the torch on to his daughter, Nadia, and her husband, Valter Fissore, who has worked alongside Elvio for 25 years. Following in the footsteps of the master Elvio, the Elvio Cogno winery continues to produce elegant wines without altering the traditions, styles and flavors of the Langhe, with its impressive landscape and unique grape varieties. Valter and Nadia cultivate native varieties – Nebbiolo, Barbera, Dolcetto and Nascetta – with organic vineyard practices, low yields per hectare and respect for the natural balance of the vine. Valter describes his wines as “precise and pure”, saying they are meant to evoke emotions to be remembered and a sense of place, born from this extraordinary site.

This Barbera selection is called “Pre-Phyloxera” because it is the only Barbera d’Alba DOC that is produced from non-grafted Barbera strains. The wine is unique, tasting this wine is discovering the original characteristics of the indigenous Barbera grape. The vineyard was planted more than 120 years ago in the Langhe, before the arrival of Phylloxera, an invasive aphid. It survived thanks to the sandy soil of this place, which the plague cannot bear.

Tasting Notes:

The color shows an intense purple red while the nose shows a wide range of aromas. Ripe red cherries, small berries, dried flowers and hints of cinnamon accompany the mineral notes. The mouth is rich with a very long aftertaste. The combination of bright acidity and velvety tannins gives it a very pleasant and tasty mouthfeel.