Description
“If anyone put Barbera on the map as a potentially great wine-grape it was the late Giacomo Bologna of Braida ” : Nicolas Belfrage – ‘Barolo To Valpolicella The Wines Of Northern Italy’.
Giacomo Bologna – known as ‘Braida’ – inherited his love of barbera from his wheelwright father’s small plot of the grape in the town of Rocchetta Tanaro in Piedmont. He determined he would use it to create wines as subtle and complex as the best pinot noir and nebbiolo and succeeded. Along the way, the world stood up and took notice and now Braida wines such as the Bricco dell’Uccellone and Ai Suma are renowned for their elegance and suitability for ageing.
The estate, owned by the Bologna family since 1961, is run today by Anna Martinengo and by Giacomo’s children, Giuseppe and Raffaella Bologna. It stands on an overall area of 70 hectares of which 40 are vineyard and 30 occupied by meadows, woodland and sown crops.
Uccellone is one of the best vineyards on the hilltops of Rocchetta Tanaro. This wine takes its name because once upon a time, in a house adjacent to the vineyard, lived an old lady who always dressed in black and was nicknamed “l’uselun” in Piedmont dialect meaning the big bird (l’uccellone). 100% Barbera, the grapes ferment on skins for 20 days then aged for 15 months in french oak barriques of various ages. It is bottled the following summer and aged in bottle a further 12 months.
Intense ruby red and garnet in colour, with rich red fruit aroma, mint and toasted notes of French oak. The bouquet is rich, aromatic and complex with a remarkable intensity and multilayered concentration. On the palate, lively and bold flavours of wild berries, liquorice, tar and rich plum fruit that finishes clean with Barbera’s classic acidity. A voluptuous and full bodied style, perfectly balanced with a persistent long finish. Capable for cellaring for 15 years or more.
On the 2011 vintage in Piedmont, Antonio Galloni of Vinous said “For Barbera, the vintage was very positive, thanks to the heat at the end of August and September, there was a reduction in the variety’s typical acidity, while the sugar content increased only slightly resulting in wines of exceptional structure and balance.”
Galloni on the 2011 … “The 2011 Barbera d’Asti Bricco dell’Uccellone wraps around the palate with layers of expressive blue/black fruits, sweet spices, French oak and lavender. This is an especially perfumed, silky, voluptuous Bricco dell’Uccellone. Ideally, the 2011 is best left alone for a few years, which should allow more complexity to develop in bottle.”
93 points Gary Walsh, The Wine Front “..Dark chocolate, sweet cherry, licorice, some creamy oak spice over the top. Medium to full bodied, layers of silty open weave tannin, bitter almond and chocolate, minor level of warmth, but so plush and succulent. Significantly dangerous booze.”
RRP $198
