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2018 Barbera del Monferrato “Rosso Pietro”
Cantine ValpaneDue east of Turin lies Cantine Valpane, a small family winery focused on traditional Piemontese grapes that too often fly under the radar among wine drinkers this side of the Atlantic—varieties like Freisa, Grignolino, and even a Piemontese favorite, Barbera. One of the stars of the Monferrato, Cantine Valpane’s Pietro Arditi knows that the terroir here, which features a relatively warm climate and long hours of sunlight, allows the grapes to ripen completely and unleashes the full personality of the variety. In other words, the Monferrato is ideally suited to Barbera, and the top vignaioli of the region dedicate their best bottlings to the grape.
You can taste this in Cantine Valpane’s Rosso Pietro, with its soaring aromatics and flavors of black cherries, herbs, blackcurrant, and earth. This rosso is made for pure pleasure—and for pizza/pasta night—and you’ll be amazed by how much refinement and complexity are also on display.
—Tom Wolf
Wine Type: | red |
Vintage: | 2018 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | Barbera |
Appellation: | Barbera del Monferrato |
Country: | Italy |
Region: | Piedmont |
Producer: | Cantine Valpane |
Winemaker: | Pietro Arditi |
Vineyard: | Planted in 2000, 2005, 4 ha |
Soil: | Clay, Limestone |
Aging: | Aged 3 months in bottle before release |
Farming: | Sustainable |
Alcohol: | 14.5% |
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About The Producer
Cantine Valpane
About The Region
Piedmont
Kermit’s love affair with the great reds of Piemonte dates back to the early days of his career: the very first container he imported from Italy, in fact, featured legendary 1971 and 1974 Barolos from Vietti and Aldo Conterno. Regular visits since then have seen our portfolio grow to now twelve Piemontesi estates, with a strong focus on the rolling hills of the Langhe.
Nebbiolo rules these majestic, vine-covered marl slopes, giving Italy’s most mystifyingly complex, nuanced, and age-worthy reds. When crafted via traditional production methods—long macerations and extensive aging in enormous oak botti—the powerful, yet incredibly refined Barolos and Barbarescos provide haunting aromatics of tar, raspberry, incense, tea, roses, and more. At times austere in their youth but well worth the wait, they pair beautifully with the hearty local cuisine starring veal in many forms, braised beef, pastas like tajarin and agnolotti, and of course, Alba’s famous white truffles.
Surrounded by mountains on three sides, Piemonte’s climate is continental, with baking hot summers and cold winters. Nebbiolo is only part of the story here: juicy, fruity Barberas and Dolcettos represent the bread and butter throughout the region, and other native grapes like Freisa, Croatina, and the white Arneis are also noteworthy. Value abounds in the Monferrato, while Alto Piemonte also has its share of thrills to provide.
Every corner of Piemonte is rich with tradition, especially when wine is concerned. It’s no wonder we have been singing the region’s praises for over forty years.
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Where the newsletter started
Where the newsletter started
Every three or four months I would send my clients a cheaply made list of my inventory, but it began to dawn on me that business did not pick up afterwards. It occurred to me that my clientele might not know what Château Grillet is, either. One month in 1974 I had an especially esoteric collection of wines arriving, so I decided to put a short explanation about each wine into my price list, to try and let my clients know what to expect when they uncorked a bottle. The day after I mailed that brochure, people showed up at the shop, and that is how these little propaganda pieces for fine wine were born.—Kermit Lynch