2013 Moccagatta Barbaresco Basarin 750 ml

Moccagatta, Per Se, and Wine Spectator’s #1 95-pointer of 2013

Moccagatta Basarin Vineyard

We want to thank Chef Thomas Keller for leading us to the terrace of Moccagatta, and an unforgettable afternoon with Sergio Minuto and his daughter, Martina. Last year, at Per Se on Columbus Circle, paired with Wolfe Ranch Bobwhite Quail Breast — seared quail breast with caramelized Salsify Root, Pickled Ramps and Charred Shishito Pepper Jus, topped with a sunny side up quail egg — we were once again reminded why Keller’s cuisine isn’t so much novel as transformative. The Moccagatta Barbaresco cru — with its suave, high-toned, wild-berry flavors and pine-needle aromatics— was magical, picking up and accentuating the bird’s salty gaminess, highlighting the purity of Keller’s cuisine without competing with it.

Partly due to that food and wine pairing, but more to do with Antonio Galloni’s startling vintage report in which he called 2013 an “epic” year in Barbaresco, we flew to Milan three days before the opening ceremonies of VinItaly in Verona. Traveling again on no sleep, we trained to Turin, drank two double espressos, and made the 90 minute drive to Barbaresco. We arrived at 5 p.m., fell sound asleep at 6, and awoke to the smell of fresh roasted coffee 13 hours later.

Sergio Minuto and his daughter Martina greeted us on the terrace, overlooking a picturesque ridge that separates the two basins below. Martina, already considered one of the brightest young winemaker stars in Piedmont, gave us a quick lay of the land, pointing out the family’s three Grand Cru parcels: Bric Balin, Cole, and, in the distance to the west, Basarin. Then, as we picked at roasted hazelnuts in the tasting room, Sergio described the miracle growing season in which Barbaresco not only outpointed neighboring Barolo, but also set its sights squarely on Gevrey-Chambertin.

From January to early April 2013, Sergio explained, there was barely a day when Piedmont’s cafes were serving on their outdoor terraces. The weather was miserable — gray skies, rain, sleet, even some wet snow. Bud-break came two weeks late. “The sun really didn’t begin to shine until mid-June,” Sergio told us, as translated by Martina.

The summer months were largely sunny and mild. Still, Sergio cautioned, “In early September 2013, the vines were still well behind. A flash frost or another wet spell in October could have been disastrous.” The Minutos had no choice but to accept their fate, sitting back and observing as Nature put on an unforgettable late-season show in Neive.

Beginning in the second week of September, the 1.7-hectare “Basarin” vineyard — the jewel of Moccagatta — was bathed in sunshine for seven consecutive weeks. The Minutos took full advantage, pushing off the call to pick until the last days of October. Under turquoise skies, the latest harvest on record yielded just 2.5 tons per acre of succulent Nebbiolo. Sugars had soared in the last weeks of October, pushing finished alcohol to a steady 14.5%. Tannins were ripe and sumptuous. Acids were firm.

The 2013 Moccagatta Barbaresco Basarin is one of the most delicious and intellectually sophisticated Barbarescos of the last decade. Galloni raved. Wine Spectator added the finishing touch, rating Moccagatta’s top wine of the vintage 95 points — the highest rating of the vintage for ANY wine of the appellation at ANY price!

$60 on release. Just $44 today. 240 bottles up for grabs. NOT TO BE MISSED by Burgundy and Barolo collectors, and all serious Pinot Noir enthusiasts.