2012 Moccagatta Barbaresco Bric Balin 750 ml

The Luscious 2012 Barbaresco: More Vosne-Romanée than Piedmont

If Barolo is the King of Italy’s reds, neighboring Barbaresco is the queen. In 2012, a miracle growing season in which the top producers turned out Nebbiolos of great richness and fabulous floral complexity, Sergio and Francesco Minuto crafted the most critically acclaimed “Bric Balin” in the history of tiny Moccagatta — a Nebbiolo that seems more at home in Vosne-Romanée than Piedmont! 95 points from Suckling. 93 more from The Wine Advocate. A STEAL at $43/bottle.

The Minuto family has worked the land in Barbaresco since the mid-1800s. At the time, wine grapes were all but worthless, yet Giovanni Minuto farmed his hillside vineyards as if the crop harvested was precious, and then sold the production to local bottlers. In 1913, Giovanni’s son, Luigi, would be one of the first growers of the region to bottle wine under his label, even as he struggled mightily to sell what he’d made.

The economic fortunes of the region hadn’t changed much by 1952, when the family estate was split in two. Half went to Luigi’s son, Lorenzo. Mario, the other son, inherited the farmhouse and the surrounding property. Today, Mario’s sons Francesco and Sergio and their children farm the vines and produce exquisite single-vineyard Barbaresco, the most extraordinary of which is drawn off Moccagatta’s tiny cru Bric Balin.

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 spell. Temperatures soared to over 100 degrees, causing the vines at Bric Balin 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 “Bric Balin” that seems almost more at home in Vosne-Romanée than Barbaresco!

The 2012 Moccagatta Barbaresco Bric Balin is a masterpiece. Bright ruby-red. Exquisite aromas of black and red raspberry, a splash of kirsch, and a dash of white pepper. Silken in texture, filled with a juicy wild-berry mix, fleshy and plump, finishing with fine, dusty tannins. Despite modest alcohol (a mere 14%), this luscious, elegant Barbaresco will age effortlessly for the next 10-20 years.

Demand is high for “Bric Balin” all over Europe. Featured at The French Laundry, Gary Danko, Per Se, Eleven Madison Park, Del Posto, and Marea (where it’s currently being POURED by the glass), just 150 cases are headed stateside, 40 of which have been earmarked for WineAccess. $57 on release. $43 today on WineAccess, shipping included on 4.