Pedemontis Barbera d’Alba Superiore Betlem 2021
£34.25
The wine
An intense and opulent wine with notes of black plum and blackberry, leading to an elegant yet structured palate with wonderful richness on the finish. The Superiore designation earns its keep here.
Superiore requires higher minimum alcohol and a year of ageing before release. Barbera responds well to oak, which rounds out its high acidity without needing to add much tannin, since the grape has little of its own. Betlem is the dialect name, and the wine sits a clear step above the Bajet.
The producer
Pedemontis
View all Pedemontis winesPedemontis takes its name from the Latin for at the foot of the mountains, which is what Piedmont means. The wines come from vineyards across the Langhe and Roero, the two halves of the Tanaro valley that between them account for most of what southern Piedmont is known for.
The two are quite different. The Langhe, on the right bank, is calcareous marl and gives the great Nebbiolos; the Roero, on the left, is sandier and lighter, which suits Arneis and gives softer, more perfumed reds. Working both allows a range that covers Favorita and Arneis for whites through Barbera to Nebbiolo.
The wine names are in Piedmontese dialect rather than Italian, which is a small act of local loyalty in a region whose language is genuinely distinct from Italian and increasingly little spoken. Favorita in particular is worth attention: it is the same variety as Vermentino, grown in Piedmont for centuries and almost abandoned in favour of Arneis.
