2012 Cozzo Mario Barbaresco Madonna delle Rose DOCG 750 ml

The Luscious 2012 Barbaresco: More Vosne-Romanée than Piedmont

The Cozzo family has worked the land in Barbaresco since 1827. Wine grapes were all but worthless then, but Mario Cozzo farmed his own hillside vineyards as if the crop he harvested was precious, and then sold the production to local bottlers. It wasn’t until the late 20th century that his great grandchildren would bottle the wines under their own label, even though selling the wines would prove much more difficult than growing it.

The Cozzo Mario estate sits high up in the gentle hills of the Langhe valley near the town of Dogliani, an area known for great wines since time immemorial. The core of the estate remains Cascina Lasagna, a farmhouse dating back to 18th century where the original vines of the estate were established. Today, after the recent addition of vineyards in the nearby area of Braida, the estate now stretches out to over 30 acres.

In 2012, an unusually hot summer almost paradoxically gave birth to beautifully floral, finely delineated Nebbiolos with modest alcohol levels and high acidity. A very cold and snowy February helped to replenish water tables. March and April were quite cool, pushing back budbreak by two weeks. Nature shifted gears in early summer, ushering in plenty of warm days through July. Then, in August, Barbaresco was hit with a heat wave. Temperatures soared to over 100 degrees, causing the vines at both Cascina Lasagna and Cascina Braida to shut down, all but halting the maturation process.

Then, right on cue, rain began to fall in the last week of August, restarting the growth cycle. A dry, cool fall further extended the growing season, allowing small-berry Nebbiolo clusters to ripen incrementally. When the call to harvest was made under near-perfect conditions, berries were loaded with sugar at still-modest alcohol levels, making for a Nebbiolo that seems almost more at home in Vosne-Romanée than Barbaresco!

The 2012 Cozzo Mario Barbaresco Madonna delle Rose is a masterpiece. This full-bodied Nebbiolo is garnet in color, with aromas of licorice, tar, rose petal, and underbrush. The palate is dense and complex with a saline-mineral edge to the core of griotte cherry flavors. The tannins are dense, mouth-coating, and dusty, yet feel ripe. Drink today to 2030.

In 2012, a miracle growing season in which the top producers turned out Nebbiolos of great richness and fabulous floral complexity, the Cozzo family crafted the most pure, elegant, and rose-petal floral Barbaresco that we’ve ever tasted from the estate — a Nebbiolo that seems more at home in Vosne-Romanée than Piedmont! AN ABSOLUTE STEAL at $36.99/bottle. This is an Italian wine lover’s dream. Don’t hesitate.