Alessandria Barbera d'Alba

The Man... We have talented Piedmontese wine grower Mauro Veglio to thank for the existence of this wine. Veglio was able to convince Gianfranco Alessandria, his cousin, to begin estate-bottling fruit from his 5.5 hectares of vines. Gianfranco’s father had expanded this estate, founded by his grandfather in the 1940’s: both men had sold its fruit to other producers. Alessandria followed his father’s example until the late 1980’s, when he began experimenting with bottling small quantities of wine. His first major release was in 1991. A 1993 Alessandria Barolo received Tre Bicchiere from Gambero Rosso, the prominent Italian Food and Wine publication. He was on the right path. The rest is history.

The Estate... Alessandria farms in Monforte, one of the hilltop villages of the Barolo D.O.C.G. This is the heart of the Italian Piedmont, a region considered by many in the wine community to make the best red wine in all of Italy. In 1996 Gianfranco completed an expansion and modernization of the winery’s cellars, upping production to a whopping 35,000 bottles annually.

The Wine... The vines that grow Alessandria’s Barbera are situated on a south-east facing hillside, ideal for gathering radiant heat and sun throughout the growing cycle. Some of the vines were planted by Gianfranco’s grandfather in 1955. Soils are a mix of tufa, clay and limestone. After a cool five-day maceration to extract color and texture, the wine is fermented and aged in stainless steel. 5,500 bottles of this wine are made annually.