Barbera d'Asti 'La Tota' Marchesi Alfieri 2013

The Barbera d'Asti "La Tota" by Marchesi Alfieri is a great example of how the Barbera grape in Piedmont, can create great wines for structure, complexity and intensity. Marchesi Alfieri is an historic cellar of Asti, a family that since 1616 leads lands and vineyards; a cellar conducted since 1983 by three sisters Emanuela, Antonella, and Giovanna, who in 1999 was added to the winemaker Mario Olivero. Twenty acres of property and 100,000 bottles produced annually. "La Tota", which in Piedmontese dialect means Miss, is a Barbera that is presented in all its smooth taste, structured and balanced. A Barbera offering notes of spices, vanilla and ripe red fruit; typical notes for those who make an aging of 12 months in French oak barrels of Allier and Troncais. The push for quality and excellence has driven the winery Marchesi Alfieri to harvest only the best clusters, to allow to ferment only the best grapes. Born from Barbera grapes grown on vines more different by age, exposure and color type; grapes harvested and vinified separately and are assembled only after the malolactic steel. A great quality / price ratio for one of the Barbera d'Asti that most impressed us in our tasting: intense, complex, elegant, soft, balanced. "La Tota": confirmation of a great wine tradition...