San Silvestro Barbera del Piemonte Ottone 1 2023
£10.45
The wine
Bright cherry tones combine with aromas of wild raspberry. Soft on the palate but still carrying structure and finesse. A very approachable style of Barbera, with excellent ripe fruit and a fresh finish.
Barbera is the everyday red of Piedmont, planted far more widely than Nebbiolo and drunk while the Nebbiolo sleeps in the cellar. It is naturally high in acidity and low in tannin, which makes it exceptionally food-friendly. Unoaked here, so the sour-cherry fruit and the brisk acidity come through clean.
The producer
San Silvestro
View all San Silvestro winesFour generations at Novello, in the heart of the Langhe. Giovanni Sartirano founded San Silvestro in 1871, and the estate is run today by cousins Paolo and Guido from vineyards across the Langhe, Roero and Monferrato.
Novello is one of the eleven communes of Barolo and among its highest, which matters increasingly as vintages warm: altitude extends the ripening season and preserves the acidity and perfume that make Nebbiolo worth the trouble. The family also work the region's less celebrated grapes, including Nascetta, a white variety native to Novello itself that had almost vanished by the 1990s and is now grown by a small group of local producers determined to keep it.
The family hold Equalitas certification for sustainable cultivation, and the winemaking is modern in polish while staying faithful to what each site gives. Barbera, Nebbiolo, Cortese and Moscato all feature alongside the Barolo, and the range travels a good deal further than the local market it once served.
