A seriously good value for the most part. Certainly would not think it would wine a blind tasting of wines $100 and under.
Interesting - I greatly prefer Barbera to Dolcetto - in fact, I regularly buy Barbera as I find it a very useful wine in the cellar (rather, at the table). But I am an acid freak so maybe that explains it.
Ever had the Elvio Cogno pre-phylloxera bottling? Fantastic.
Having 2011 Accornero Barbera del Monferrato Superiore Bricco Battista tonight with pizza.
The Monferrato is another area that specialises in the variety, how was it?
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It’s good. Still fruity and not lacking in acidity, that’s for sure. I decanted for about an hour and it’s been another hour since, and it’s still improving. Plenty of life left in this one.
I’m not an acid freak in anyway, yet find the acid in barberas a necessary balance to the unbridled fruit forward flavors. I love me some barbera. I’ve only tried a couple of dolcettos and need to explore quite a lot more. Wish I had a lot more time to explore Italian wines in general, but I’m not willing to spend +$50 on wines unfamiliar to me.
Seems like lots of Barberas and Dolcettos in the $30 range? Notoriously overpriced wine dot com has 51 Italian Barberas for under $30 listed right now, as an example. (NY Warehouse)
I guess I was referring to branching out to Barolos and Brunellos.
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Oh ya well then you are screwed! 
Some Nizza M. Barbera’s are fantastic.
Try Villa Giada ‘Dedicato’ for example.
Vietti also makes a great ‘La Crena’ / Vigna Scarrone’ And ofcourse the earlier mentioned pre-phylloxera from Cogno.
I haven’t tasted this myself, but have noticed that a) Cognos wines seem to age very slowly. I’ve had some wines that have been almost 10 years old, yet tasted like they were freshly released; b) many of them have had this odd, almost Cabernet-like streak of blackcurrant, despite what variety it is made from. Although they say they employ spontaneous ferments, I think that they have a yeast strain that produces lots of those cassis-like notes during fermentation and it is prevalent in the winery, which would explain why the wines feel so similar even if they do not inoculate.
So it’s hard to say whether that particular wine is going to be to your liking - especially when I myself have tried to avoid all the 2017 like crazy. Very hot and dry vintage in Piedmont, not a fan myself. But for good reference, Mikael listed some great producer names that are well worth checking out.
I’ve had relatively few Nizzas and unfortunately quite many of those have been made in that oaky blockbuster style, which really isn’t my cup of tea.
However, even if it is something of a bruiser, I’ve always enjoyed Vietti’s La Crena, especially if it has some bottle age. I think it is from Nizza (and labeled as such in the past), but for some reason is a “lowly” Barbera d’Asti now.
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I also prefer Barbera to Dolcetto Maureen. I enjoy Barbera at the table even if I don’t buy much of it, usually choosing Nebbiolo Langhe or something similar instead. Dolcetto is okay I just never enjoy it all that much, and prefer the high acid of Barbera.
Disclaimer: I recently started importing the wines of Rosanna Sandri to Denmark.
When tasting the wines from Rosanna Sandri I really fell in love with their Dolcetto d’Alba called “Grasmeri”. It was one of the deciding wines for taking the import together with their Langhe Nebbiolo and Barbaresco.
This is from vines with an age of around 70 years in a really prime vineyard in San Rocco Seno d’Elvio in Barbaresco. Max 1,5 kilo of grapes per vine. The whole vinification happens in cement tanks, where the wine also goes through malolactic fermentation, before it is bottled.
This is the most serious and complex Dolcetto I’ve had to date (although I haven’t had that many), but I’ve always thought of Dolcetto as something rather “meh” and cheap.
Their NYC importer, Stelle Wine Co., has apparently also said that it’s the Dolcetto Grasmeri changing the whole game for them. For an importer with a portfolio including producers like Vincent/Theo Dancer, PO Garcia, Maison Glandien, Maffrei and others, I really think this is a testament to the seriousness as well.
@N.Lehto I agree the Dolcetto is a star of the show.
I don’t quite understand how it could “change the game” as an importer though. The wine is outstanding and every restaurant in the world would love to pour it BTG. It’s really quite something special.
I think it is easily one of the best example of Dolcetto around - but there is only 1800 bottles haha - which is why I am curious how it changes the game. We too import the wines of R.Sandri - they were with a previous importer. The wines will absolutely crush in California. They are beside Philine / D’Arcy/Lalu/ Ca di Press and hold their ground. The Barbera for me is actually one of my fave wines that he makes.
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It’s not really my words, but I guess it’s more of a statement towards them making a Dolcetto that is so… “untypical”, and showing how to make a grape like Dolcetto into something magical. It shows the huge potential for all of the wines coming from them.
This is interesting since it’s probably my least favorite of the bunch. Which vintage did you taste/have? I know it’s very, very much a matter of taste and preference, since for example my father would agree with you, as he likes more round and smooth wines, which I also feel the Barbara appeals to.
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I had an amazing 2022 Pio Cesare Barbera d’Alba at a restaurant last week. Beautiful fruit and acidity. Paired very well with a Bolognese sauce!
I was convinced of Barbera’s seriousness a few years ago when I picked up a 1967 example from Chambers St Wine. 1967 Bersano Barbera d'Asti Conti della Cremosina Riserva Speciale - CellarTracker
I’ve also enjoyed G Mascarello’s Scudetto.