This Bric Del Fruste wine [the name means “The stranger’s hill”], is magnificently produced  by Roberto Urscheler from the finest cuvee made exclusively with grapes from his most mature Barbera vines (on average 60 – 70 years old). Roberto personally manages every aspect in the production of this fine wine. After he directly oversees a very careful double selection of Barbera grapes, the wine is directly and totally made in a large hand made Allier wood vat of 3550 litres [Allier is the region in Northern France where the barrels are made]. The wine is then transferred into smaller 225 litre hand made Allier wood barrels known as barriques. These smaller volume barriques ensure that more of the wine comes into contact with the wood. This enhances the fruit concentration, the complexity and the smoothness of the final product. It is matured in these barrels for at least 11 months. Roberto’s skill at this method of production has produced ‘Bric Del Fruste’ a wine with great structure and higher tannin content than steel produced Barbera. This wine will age gracefully for up to ten years and indeed will reward your patience by continuing to improve for some time. Barrique Barbera’s often fetch premium prices because these wines are quite sought after by collectors. We think that ‘Bric Del Fruste’ 2001 vintage, represents excellent value for money and is a good investment if you want a quality wine at an affordable price. We strongly suggest you resist the temptation to drink it all now and be disciplined enough to lay some bottles down. This way you will be able to truely appreciate its excellence in future years. In keeping with all Roberto’s wines however, it is not mass produced in large quantities so please order early to avoid disappointment

Bric del Fruste Premium Barbera £89.94 6 bottle half case (£14.99 per bottle) plus £5 post & packing

Tasting Notes

Deep ruby red colour, with violet hues; a rich, strong, austere full-bodied wine, perfectly balanced with an intense bouquet of vanilla, black-berry, liquorice, spices and notes of violet; impressively it gains nuance and complexity on the long lasting finish, where the flavours linger deliciously on the tongue.

Best with game, strong cheese, Piedmontese pasta agnolotti and roasted beef and spicy meat stews. It can also appreciated as an after dinner drink.

To be uncorked and decanted at least one hour before tasting.

Serving temperature: 16° - 18° C.

Variety of grapes          100 % Barbera (ancient vines) Double Selection

Production area            Mombaruzzo

Appellation                  D.O.C.

Alc. Vol.                     14,00%

Soil                              calcareous, clayey

Harvesting                    End September

Wine making                hand made into a 3550 wood vat

Fermentation                8 – 10 days

Ageing                         11 months

Bottling             After ageing of at least 1 year in barrique

To maximise your enjoyment of this wine it is very important to allow it to breathe before consumption. It should therefore be opened and if possible, decanted at least two hours before drinking.

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BARRIQUE WINE METHODS

At the top of the quality and price scales are the barrique Barbera’s. In the 1980’s following the lead of their Tuscan counterparts, Piedmont producers started to pay more attention to cultivation methods and to age wines from their best vineyards in small oak barrels known as “barriques.” Because, in this method of production, more of the wine is exposed to oak, these Barbera’s will usually be higher in tannins, have more structure, and can age quite gracefully. Not surprisingly, these wines are at the top of the price and quality scale and can often command premium prices.

Tasting notes -BRIC DEL FRUSTE’ Monferrato DOC Rosso