This family winery is run by Gianluca Battaglio. The family has been making wines in this same area for generations. Barbaresco is made from 100% Nebbiolo grapes. The history of the name is still hotly debated whether it stems from the barbarian hoards that tried to conquer the area or from the name of the woods that dominated these hills which the Romans called barbarica silva or wild woods. The production area for Barbaresco includes the towns of Barbaresco, Treiso, and Neive and also part of Alba.

Gianluca Battaglio makes some 2,000 bottles per year of this Barbaresco. I tasted it right before the pandemic when I went to an enormous tasting of Barolo and Barbaresco wines in New York. While the pandemic has not ended, things are better and I am returning to write about some of the gems I tasted over the course of the past period of time.

I got a lot of red and black fruit, floral notes of rose and violet, tar, tobacco, and delicate dried nut aromas. Silky tannins, good acidity, a long finish and wonderful enveloping aromas make this a complex and complete wine. I loved the wine when I tasted it and can’t to taste it again.