Vineyards and winemaking
Bricco dell'Uccellone is made solely from Barbera grown on the estate's celebrated hillside at Rocchetta Tanaro. The vineyard's clay and sand soils, favourable exposure and carefully controlled yields produce deeply flavoured grapes while preserving the variety's naturally vigorous acidity.
The 2018 was matured in small oak barrels before further refinement in bottle. Presented in magnum, it has evolved more slowly than a standard bottle, retaining generous fruit and energy while the oak and tannins integrate. Decanting for around an hour will help it unfold.
Tasting notes
Appearance
Intense ruby-garnet with a dark core and youthful depth for its age.
Nose
Black cherry and wild berry aromas are threaded with mint, liquorice, vanilla and dark chocolate, followed by a touch of sweet tobacco.
Palate
Expansive and structured, with ripe cherry, blackberry and plum held in balance by mouth-watering Barbera acidity. Polished tannins and savoury oak lend form without hardening the fruit, while cocoa, clove and balsamic notes build towards a long, resonant finish.
Food pairing
The magnum format makes this ideal for a shared table: serve with roast rib of beef, lamb shoulder with rosemary, baked pasta with beef ragù, or aged Taleggio. Pour at 17°C in generous glasses to show the wine's scale and aromatic range.
Background story
Bricco dell'Uccellone takes its name from an elderly woman who once lived near the vineyard and was nicknamed “l'uselun”—the big bird. First made from the 1982 harvest, the wine became Giacomo Bologna's defining demonstration that Barbera could combine richness, oak maturation and genuine longevity.
That bold idea helped change the standing of Barbera far beyond Piedmont. Sommelier's Choice has worked with the Bologna family for over twenty years, valuing not only the precision of wines such as Uccellone but also the warmth and conviction with which they are made.
