Vigneti Massa 2014 Barbera Monleale Piemonte

Another face of Barbera, Massa’a ‘Monleale’ is a smooth version that opens after a little time in the glass. Soft blue and black fruit with wet-rock minerality make this a fun pairing with roasted chicken and duck.

Walter Massa is a legend in Piemonte. His enduring legacy is returning one of Piemonte’s varietal treasures back into existence, the white grape Timorasso. Located in the southeastern are known as Colli Tortonesi, Walter farms 30 hectar of vines spread out over 8 distinct plots of this celebrated grape, along with Barbera and other native Piemontese grapes. He works organically in the vineyard and naturally in the winery, and his wines are polished examples of this approach. It is a pleasure to present this Barbera from 2014. One of Piemonte’s most widely planted grape by far, Barbera contains within its thick skins a spicy note often exemplified in the wines of Monferratto, Asti. Walter matches this spice with softly mellow red fruit that take a few to open fully in the glass. Once decanted for about an hour, a core of blistering red cherry and pomegranate rises in the glass, never rising above a medium body. This is a lovely red for pasta, fish or the duck my brother roasted over the weekend and I pulled a bottle in order to revisit.

WINEMAKER: Walter Massa

VARIETAL: 100% Barbera

APPELLATION: Colli Tortonesi (Derthona)

REGION: Piemonte

IN THE VINEYARD: Organic

IN THE WINERY: Native yeasts. Aging in used barriques for about two years and at least an additional year in bottle. No ltration.ABV%: 13.5

SERVE: Open and let stand in the bottle for an hour, serve in a Burgundy glass