Bricco Dell’Uccellone Barbera d’Asti 2008 (Magnum)

Giacomo Bologna is considered the pioneer to have not only improved the overall quality of the Barbera grape but also to have lifted the variety on the wine’s world stage of fame at a time when its low esteem was reduced even more by the methanol scandal in 1986. Reducing yields and employing French Barrique barrels for the ageing imparted flavour and structure and thus rendered the wine age-worthy, a characteristic that has never been ascribed to Barbera. When Giacomo released his first ‘Bricco dell’Uccellone’1982, an elegant balance of innovation and tradition, the wine immediately became a leader on the national and international wine scene.

The Bricco dell’Uccellone grapes grow in a 6 ha single vineyard on a southern steep slope in the ‘frazione’ (township) “Bricco”, just up the hill from Rocchetta Tanaro. The soil composure is a very typical for the region, the so-called ‘medio impasto’ is a medium-heavy soil of equal proportions of clay and yellow sand that produces wines of intensely aromatic and savory flavours.

The name derives from the nickname given to an old lady, always dressed in black who once lived up the hill where nowadays the vineyard is located. As the people of Rocchetta Tanaro were afraid of the lady with her big nose, they called her "l'uselun," which in Piedmont dialect means ‘the big bird’. "Bricco dell'Uccellone" = hilltop of the big bird.

The Bricco dell’Uccellone is a richly perfumed and fruit-driven wine that shows notes of dark berries, in particular sour cherry, sweet spice and smokey hints. The bouquet is aromatic and complex with a remarkable intensity and multilayered concentration. The palate is voluptuous and full-bodied and its rich fruit is lifted by the crisp acidity. The multidimensional structure perfectly balances the grape’s juicy sapidity and the high quality oak. The newest vintage 2008 which will be released by mid-year is a very classical and structured style of the Bricco. The cooler climatic conditions created an elegant wine with crisp acidity.