Barbera d'Alba Bricco dei Merli Elvio Cogno 2020

Description

The Bricco dei Merli is a 1.8ha vineyard that produces about 10,000 bottles of wine. It is fermented and macerated on skins for 60 days and aged in old Slavonian oak, and is a great example of the vibrancy and richness of Barbera in Piedmont. The Elvio Cogno Winery stands at the top of the Bricco Ravera Hill in Novello, in the Piedmont territory of the Langhe. The farm occupies 11 hectares of land, all under vine. It has the unique feature that it is almost surrounded by forest (bordered at least) creating a unique, possibly slightly cooler more natural micro climate.

The Cogno family has been making wine for four generations, managing the vineyards with great care. They do not force the natural way of the vines, but cultivate low yields per hectare in respect of the biological balance of the vines. In Elvio Cogno’s wines today, we find the characteristics of history and tradition as Papà Elvio advised, and freshness and innovation that his daughter Nadia and her husband Valter Fissore contribute. The style is traditional: organic vineyard management, extremely low yields, a long maceration time and ageing in large oak. Always looking for balance the wines have immediate appeal but of course the longer you spend with them the more they reveal their multifaceted structure. This is true for all their wines, not only the top cru‘s. Organic and biodynamic principles are employed in the vineyard and winery.

A typical piedmonts’ wine, well-structured and suitable for ageing, in which wood and fruit blend to maintain intact the characteristics and typicality of the grape varietal. True to Cogno tradition, its principal qualities are its drinkability and freshness. A wine with a define character, capable of showing the terroir of the Langhe. Cogno's Barbera d'Alba Bricco dei Merli is dark, sumptuous and wonderfully inviting. Black cherry, mocha, licorice, spice and sweet pipe tobacco add shades of nuance to a Barbera that captures the richness of the year while also retaining a mid-weight sense of structure.