Diego E Damiano Langhe Nebbiolo 2020
When I first met Diego Barale a few years ago, he and his brother Damiano had just bottled their second vintage together. Their story was fascinating – being a part of one of Fratelli Barale, one of the region’s most celebrated historic estates was reason in and of itself to delve deeper but there was a twist! Their father had passed away when they were just small boys and their new label is essentially the reclamation of their birthright vineyards that had been kept in the wider family estate until the two boys grew to manhood and decided growing grapes and making wine was their future. The first few vintages have been a revelation. They are a future star of the region, making deeply impressive wines that you should not miss.
Back to when I first met Diego. I had been tipped off by a local friend that I must go and meet and taste the boy’s new wines. He in turn had been tipped off to them by none other than Maria Theresa Mascarello (Bartolo Mascarello) who had observed Diego’s fastidiousness in the vineyards where she herself farmed. There was no way I couldn’t go and the serendipitous meeting has proved one of the best decisions I’ve made in sourcing for PWS. On our most recent visit, things had changed a little. The kitchen table where we originally tasted amongst a toddlers spilt breakfast, has been replaced by a small tasting area in the cellar, while a small onsite winery now inhabits an extension at one end of the building.
The two brothers are an impressive and complimentary double-act.
Diego is an extroverted and opinionated perfectionist – a visit to his vineyards is evidence of his attention to detail. He’s self-critical and not afraid to tell you when things in his work or indeed, the work of his much more reserved winemaking brother’s work aren’t good enough. Interrupting Damiano when tasting their 2019 Barolo from cask, he says “yes, we messed it up, I don’t know why” That kind of candour is unusual in winemaking, a profession with more egos than the Oscars red carpet. I hasten to add, that same wine was given a great review from Jancis Robinson.
That same candour and irascible nature is on full show at a nearby bar post-tasting where scoffs down Mortadella and Franciacorta, telling us about his first marriage (got married too young), his hatred of hail nets (they ruin the look of the landscape) and pretty much anything else that comes up. All the while he greets everyone who walks through the door with a waves and a side comment. He misses no one.
For every Diego in life though, there’s a Damiano. More cerebral, quiet and considered but no less passionate. His wines give full expression to the work in the vineyard, purity of fruit unencumbered by excesses of winemaking. They are never worked or try for too much and they sit beautifully within themselves. Composed like their creator. His winemaking pedigree includes several of the great estates but I think the one that reverberates in his own wine's style is Vajra. Effortless textures and superb purity.
It has been a long while since we’ve had a new set of wines in Australia so I was champing at the bit to re-taste wines we’d seen from tank a year before. They did not disappoint. These are simply some of the best value, best made wines being made in the Langhe hills today.
Today I have picked just one wine to offer, their Langhe Nebbiolo. I flat out love this wine and it seems like you do too, well at least you loved the previous vintage we offered. So much so, I ordered it twice from the winery. This 2020 is a superior beast and I think it one of the best of it's genre especially when you roll in the price at only $40 per bottle.
There are no reviews just yet for the 2020 - the boys are still being discovered - but Walter Speller from Jancis Robinson, captures the essence of the 2020 when he writes about the 2018.
Bags of personality here. Great balance between savoury cherry fruit and long tannins. The perfect Langhe Nebbiolo.
As I say, this vintage is a superior wine to that 2018.
If you love pure and supple textured Nebbiolo then you should buy this wine. If you want to be in on the ground floor of a producer destined for greatness, you should buy this wine. If you just love great wine at a great price, you should buy this wine. ??
Back to when I first met Diego. I had been tipped off by a local friend that I must go and meet and taste the boy’s new wines. He in turn had been tipped off to them by none other than Maria Theresa Mascarello (Bartolo Mascarello) who had observed Diego’s fastidiousness in the vineyards where she herself farmed. There was no way I couldn’t go and the serendipitous meeting has proved one of the best decisions I’ve made in sourcing for PWS. On our most recent visit, things had changed a little. The kitchen table where we originally tasted amongst a toddlers spilt breakfast, has been replaced by a small tasting area in the cellar, while a small onsite winery now inhabits an extension at one end of the building.
The two brothers are an impressive and complimentary double-act.
Diego is an extroverted and opinionated perfectionist – a visit to his vineyards is evidence of his attention to detail. He’s self-critical and not afraid to tell you when things in his work or indeed, the work of his much more reserved winemaking brother’s work aren’t good enough. Interrupting Damiano when tasting their 2019 Barolo from cask, he says “yes, we messed it up, I don’t know why” That kind of candour is unusual in winemaking, a profession with more egos than the Oscars red carpet. I hasten to add, that same wine was given a great review from Jancis Robinson.
That same candour and irascible nature is on full show at a nearby bar post-tasting where scoffs down Mortadella and Franciacorta, telling us about his first marriage (got married too young), his hatred of hail nets (they ruin the look of the landscape) and pretty much anything else that comes up. All the while he greets everyone who walks through the door with a waves and a side comment. He misses no one.
For every Diego in life though, there’s a Damiano. More cerebral, quiet and considered but no less passionate. His wines give full expression to the work in the vineyard, purity of fruit unencumbered by excesses of winemaking. They are never worked or try for too much and they sit beautifully within themselves. Composed like their creator. His winemaking pedigree includes several of the great estates but I think the one that reverberates in his own wine's style is Vajra. Effortless textures and superb purity.
It has been a long while since we’ve had a new set of wines in Australia so I was champing at the bit to re-taste wines we’d seen from tank a year before. They did not disappoint. These are simply some of the best value, best made wines being made in the Langhe hills today.
Today I have picked just one wine to offer, their Langhe Nebbiolo. I flat out love this wine and it seems like you do too, well at least you loved the previous vintage we offered. So much so, I ordered it twice from the winery. This 2020 is a superior beast and I think it one of the best of it's genre especially when you roll in the price at only $40 per bottle.
There are no reviews just yet for the 2020 - the boys are still being discovered - but Walter Speller from Jancis Robinson, captures the essence of the 2020 when he writes about the 2018.
Bags of personality here. Great balance between savoury cherry fruit and long tannins. The perfect Langhe Nebbiolo.
As I say, this vintage is a superior wine to that 2018.
If you love pure and supple textured Nebbiolo then you should buy this wine. If you want to be in on the ground floor of a producer destined for greatness, you should buy this wine. If you just love great wine at a great price, you should buy this wine. ??