Elvio Cogno Barbera dAlba Bricco dei Merli 2018

A typically Piedmontese wine, with that false lightness of the Barbera, but also with the structure to improve in the bottle. Easy to drink and fresh as befits an Elvio Cogno wine.

Elvio Cogno worked for many years for Marcarini, one of the leading Piedmontese wineries in La Morra. But, in 1990, he had the opportunity to acquire a historic estate in Novello, where the family resided, which he then had to restore to return to a state of top-quality production. At the top of that estate, called Bricco Ravera, is where the winery and the family home are located today, on an 18th century property surrounded by 11 hectares of vineyards. Today, with Elvio retired, his daughter Nadia and his son-in-law Valter Fissore are in charge of the family property. The vineyards are grown as Elvio cultivated them, with the utmost respect for the vineyard in search of its organic balance, and seeking low yields that allow a fruit of the highest quality at the height of the potential of the vineyards.

The 2018 Barbera d'Alba Bricco dei Merli (with 10,000 bottles made) delivers that signature balance and harmony that we see in the other wines from Elvio Cogno. Barbera can sometimes take on overblown aromas, but this wine remains steady, sweet and mildly concentrated throughout. It delivers dark fruit intensity without ever feeling heavy or too rich. From a cooler vintage, this expression of Barbera shows vibrant freshness and energy. RP92