2022 Produttori del Barbaresco Barbaresco DOCG

The Produttori del Barbaresco cooperative have been running this incredible operation since 1958, pooling together fruit from over fifty families across the commune. It is a massive communal effort that completely removes the ego and focuses entirely on the diverse dirt of the region. The 2022 vintage threw a mountain of heat and dry weather at the area, a parched run that had plenty of local growers stressing out. But when you have that much collective vineyard knowledge to pull from, you can manage the conditions beautifully. They avoided the heavy, stewed traps of the year by leaning on their best plots, keeping things moving along a lighter, incredibly classy line. In the cellar, it is the same uncompromising recipe they have used for decades: nearly a month on skins followed by two years resting in giant, neutral Slavonian oak casks. It dishes up an delightful mix of red and purple fruits, roses, dried botanicals, bitter orange rind, and a rustic, forest floor character. Dusty, fine-grained tannins complete the picture. Not necessarily the great heights of 2021, but a beautiful Barbaresco nonetheless and superb value!