Montepulciano d'Abruzzo I Vasari Old Vines 2020

Fantastic purplish notes and an intense ruby red colour. Deep notes of red fruit and berries such as cassis and blueberry, notes of fine spices and a slightly balsamic hint. Elegant and balanced taste. Definitely a wine destined for a splendid evolution but still highly enjoyable today.

Service: Serve at 16 to 18°C.

Food Pairing: Excellent with beef, cheese, pork, poultry, pasta with tomato sauce, and vegetarian dishes.

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It is precisely on the hilly ridges of the Vomano river, between the Teramo municipalities of Cellino Attanasio, Atri, Pineto and Roseto, that the 68 hectare Barba farm is located.

The summer offers long sunny days alternated with cool nights, the winter is mitigated by the influence of the nearby Adriatic Sea, with an average annual temperature of 12-16°C, as well as good rainfall and ventilation.
Equally peculiar is the soil of the Vomano alluvial plain, characterised by Plio-Pleistocene deposits that, between the end of the Tertiary and the beginning of the Quaternary, filled the Periadriatic basin through a marine sedimentary cycle.

The result was an undulating landscape with broad, almost flat rises and rounded slopes, often interrupted by steep slopes due to erosion, the gullies. The soil thus created has an arenaceous-clayey structure, with varying thickness depending on slope and exposure, and a medium-low water retention.

Wine&Earth Full Sustainability Review Pending.

Fratelli Barba is a multi-generation project dating back to 15th century. The family own 684 hectares in total, with mixed use of the land across their estate. 574 hectares are used for livestock dairy production, green and dry fodder and cereals for the production of concentrated flours. They have 68 hectares of vineyards and 9 hectares of olive groves. Finally, almost 5% of the land, 33 hectares, is reserved as natural woodland, helping with local biodiversity.

The cow breeding farm that is inspired by the principles of the Stalla Etica®, i.e. breeding the animals with the full right to lead a life as similar as they would in nature. The cows can freely access large outdoor areas, rest on a large surface of over 20 m 2 per animal of soft compost and have spontaneous and unrestricted access to the milking robots. They are all guaranteed healthy and plentiful food, water to drink, shelter from the elements, showers and fans for the summer and veterinary care when needed. A circular economy is practised on the Tenuta Barba farm because the animals are served food that to a large extent is not suitable for human consumption, and the manure is used in the fields to feed the plants so that the use of chemical fertilisers is reduced to an absolute minimum.

Since 2007, the estate has been producing renewable energy from photovoltaic systems, to reduce the use of fossil fuels. Today, the solar PV fields extend over about 6 hectares of land and cover the rooves of the wine and livestock farms.

Red | Still | 75cl | 13.5% ABV | SO2 70mg/L

Annual Production: 6,000 bottles.

Recognition: Vintage 2008 – Wine Spectator: 90pts, Robert Parker: 90pts | Vintage 2009 – Stephen Tanzer: 92pts | Vintage 2011 – Wine Spectator: 91pts | Vintage 2012- Guida Essenziale ai vini d’Italia : 92pts | Vintage 2015 – James Suckling: 92pts, Guida Essenziale ai vini d’Italia: 93pts | Vintage 2016 – uida Essenziale ai vini d’Italia: 95pts | Vintage 2017 – Guida Essenziale ai vini d’Italia: 92pts | Vintage 2019 – James Suckling: 92pts

Cellaring: Definitely a wine destined for a splendid evolution but still highly enjoyable today.

Vinification: The harvest takes place in the second half of October. The selection of the best grapes takes place manually in the vineyard and transported in boxes.

Fermentation at controlled temperature in open French oak barrels with post-fermentation maceration up to 28-30 days from the start of fermentation. Malolactic fermentation with aging on fine lees for at least 60 days. Aging in oak barrels for 16 months.