Ugo Lequio Introductory 6-pack with 2013 Barbaresco Gallina

Hey fellow geeks,

I’ve been tasting through the VDLTwine.com portfolio and just spent three days following the wines of Ugo Lequio. You may not be familiar with Ugo’s wines, though he is no new comer on the block, having started production in Barbaresco in 1981. Fast forward to today, which you’ll want to do since the intervening years saw the typical learning curve as well as the influences of eras we prefer to forget, and we arrive at today’s cellar door where Ugo is crafting precise, fresh, traditionally styled wines that are focused on expressing terroir hand in hand with each grape variety’s inherent signature. Add in the fact that he is working with fruit from the Gallina vineyard parcel that once went to Bruno Giacosa and you can see how interesting this becomes.

We’ve put together a 6 pack offer of 4 wines for $193, all in, shipping included of course. Berserkers like shipping included. [cheers.gif]

Why 6 bottles of 4 wines you’re asking. Well, allow me to tell you a little story! Wine tasting is an imperfect art, to be sure, but following a bottle over several days gives a far more complete picture than the 30 second swirl, sip, and spit, that even I am guilty of. I enjoyed all 4 of these wines over a three day period, but two of them improved in compelling fashion during that time. We’re offering two bottles of each of those wines so you can enjoy one now, in its youth, and cellar the second to see how it evolves with further time in the bottle. Or just drink it, there’s no crime in that.

Our sampler starts off with a bottle of 2017 Ugo Lequio Langhe Arneis. Produced with fruit sourced from the Roero, Guarene d’Alba to be precise, this is not your typical Arneis, it’s not frooty and yeasty and tough to drink a second glass of, which is doubly impressive seeing as this comes from a warmer vintage. Rather it’s what I like Arneis to be: floral, mineral, precise, with some gentle orchard fruits lending a subtle fruitiness. Zesty, and gaining volume in the mouth with a longer, sandy soil toned finish on the second day, this probably could improve with a few more years in the bottle but we’re kicking off the sampler with a single bottle of this exemplary Arneis.

Next up is an absolutely terrific 2015 Ugo Lequio Barbera d’Alba Superiore Vigna Gallina. This is fabulous because it is produced from Barbera planted in the Gallina vineyard. No one is going to plant Barbera in Barbaresco vineyards like this anymore. Perfect exposition, great soils, and old vines yield a Barbera that is perfectly balanced at 13.5% alcohol. That is a remarkable achievement and I love the wine for it. On day one this seemed a little soft, delicious, eminently drinkable, but slightly plummy in profile as well. By day two the plumminess had receded, becoming more cherry and blackberry toned, a racy edge of acidity emerged, accentuating the strong mineral and balsamic accents on the long finish. Solid as a rock on day three, I am convinced that this will age wonderfully and given another 2-4 years it’ll be at a very high peak. We’ve included two bottles of this Barbera to help you test out that hypothesis.

This was followed by the 2017 Ugo Lequio Langhe Nebbiolo, which showed no sign of the warmth of the vintage in the very expressive floral and dusty aromas, though on the palate there was a hint of baked cherry to the fruit, which did not prevent this from being zingy and fresh, the way Nebbiolo should be. I do not look for baby Barolo or baby Barbaresco when buying Langhe Nebbiolo, and this delivers its own unique experience. On day 2 the subtle tannins had integrated and the baked note was gone, replaced by an intensely aromatic inner mouth perfume of cherry, evergreen, and chalky soil which remained on day three as well. While I preferred this on day 2, I don’t know that I would necessarily age this much, opting instead to enjoy it for all its freshness, and vivid fruit.

And that brings us the star of the show: the 2013 Ugo Lequio Barberesco Gallina. Somewhat reticent yet complex on the nose with subtle scents of delicate flowers, old leather, forest floor, sweet pipe tobacco, dried red currants, spiced cherry, and a hint of dried lemon peel, this was captivating. In the mouth it was a young Barbaresco from a classic vintage. No shortage of tannins or acids, fine balance, cut from classic cloth, so austere and a touch lean. Day 2 saw some significant textural improvement as the tannins softened and the acids receded into fruit that was becoming more prominent with rhubarb, citrus, and raspberry flavors, but with a price to pay. The incredibly layered aromatics had begun to fade and on day three this had receded into its shell. It’s still drinking well, though it is beginning to shut down. Still, I would recommend trying a bottle soon and then squirreling one away for 3-8 years to appreciate the full potential of this combination of vineyard, vintage and winemaker.

So that’s the deal

1 bottle 2017 Arneis
2 bottles 2015 Barbera Sueriore Vigna Gallina
1 bottle 2015 Langhe Nebbiolo
2 bottles 2013 Barbaresco Vigna Gallina

6 bottles total for $193 shipping included and you can order here: https://vdltwine.com/collections/subregion-piedmont-italy/products/ugo-lequio-sampler

If you have any questions feel free to ask. I recorded a video with additional details about these wines which can be viewed here: An introduction to the wines of Ugo Lequio - Simply Better Wines


Thanks for taking the time to check us out!