2013 Moccagatta Barbaresco Bric Balin 750 ml

Antonio Galloni’s “Epic” 2013 Barbaresco: “Deep, powerful … sensual”

When Antonio Galloni took his leave from The Wine Advocate to launch Vinous, the indefatigable critic quickly teamed up with Stephen Tanzer, and then hired a formidable staff of writers to cover nearly all of the world’s wine trails. Still, despite broadening his reach, Antonio’s heart and roots clearly remained in Piedmont, where he began his wine journalism career in 2004 with the first issue of The Piedmont Report.

Galloni’s knowledge of the cellars and vineyards of Barbaresco is unparalleled, as is his understanding of the vagaries of each Piedmontese growing season. A few months ago, Antonio published a much-awaited vintage report on the 2013 growing season, in which he called the vintage “epic” in Barbaresco, adding that the top 2013s from the Barbaresco elite — Gaja, Moccagatta, Paitin, Sottimano, and Bruno Rocca — outpointed even the marvelous 2010s. Here’s why.

From January to early April, there was barely a day when Piedmont’s cafes served cappuccino on their outdoor terraces. The weather was largely miserable — gray skies, rain, sleet, and some wet snow. Bud-break came two weeks late. It wouldn’t be until mid-June that the sun really began to shine. The summer months were then sunny and mild, but when we visited Barbaresco in early September 2013, the vines were still behind. You could see the strain on winegrowers’ faces, recognizing that a flash frost or another wet spell in October would turn a promising year into a disaster. At Moccagatta, Sergio and Francesco Minuto accepted their fate, sitting back and watching as Nature put on a late-season show that may never be forgotten in Barbaresco.

Beginning in the second week of September, the 3.4-hectare “Bric Balin” vineyard was bathed in sunshine for seven consecutive weeks. The Minuto brothers took full advantage, pushing off the call to pick until the last days of October. Under turquoise skies, the latest harvest on record at a vineyard first planted in 1957 yielded less than 3 tons per acre of succulent Nebbiolo. Sugars had soared in the last weeks of October, pushing finished alcohol to a voluptuous 14.5%. Tannins were ripe and sumptuous. Acids were firm.

The 2013 Moccagatta Barbaresco Bric Balin is breathtaking. Galloni waxed poetic, calling it a “deep, sensual wine,” “a real jewel,” and “deep, powerful and structured,” with a drinking window from 2019-2033. The 94-point rating would be one of the eight highest of this staggering vintage, and the ONLY under-$50 Barbaresco to score so highly.

Unfortunately for WineAccess, Moccagatta “Bric Balin” is no stranger to the top restaurants in America. If you’re traveling to N.Y.C. later this year, you’ll find the Minuto brothers’ world-class Barbaresco at Del Posto (including a selection of vintages in 3-liter bottles), Thomas Keller’s Per Se, 3-star Eleven Madison Park, and Marea on Central Park South. If you’re making a trip to Napa Valley this summer, book a table for two at The French Laundry. Your “Bric Balin” is waiting.

200 cases have been allocated for the United States, the lion’s share earmarked for the addresses above. $60 on release. $43 today … and yes, this is an EMPHATIC CASE-BUY.