A Barbera d’Asti you wouldn’t expect

Barbera d’Asti Castello di Perno is a simple, immediate wine to drink fresh out of the winery, better yet along with a nice plate of tajarin pasta with a ragu sauce.

The fortunate owner today of Castello di Perno, which had been the home of Giulio Einaudi and once had Primo Levi as a guest, is Gregorio Gitt, a lawyer, publisher and, above all now, a small producer of excellent wines.

For sure, it is easier make good wines than bad ones in Perno, which is near the border between Monforte and Castiglione Falletto. Given the quality of the cru, maing wine here it is almost like taking a penalty kick at an open goal, even though it is important to pay careful attention in order not to compromise what these blessed vineyards have offered.

I must admit, however, that the wine that impressed me the most among those tasted was not one of the Barolo, perhaps because they were from the complicated 2014 harvest, but a Barbera d’Asti. Its grapes did not come from Perno but rather vineyards the estate owns near Nizza Monferrato. The wine was a 2017 Barbera which was another difficult harvest but for opposite reasons that in some cases even exalted the characteristics of a varietal that loves the heat. This is a simple, immediate Barbera to drink straight out of the winery, better yet with a nice plate of tajarin pasta with a ragu sauce.

Barbera d’Asti 2017

89/100 - € 13

Made only in stainless steel from Barbera grapes and matured for nine months. The wine has an intense and lively ruby color and a very intact, fragrant aroma with notes of berries and hints of black cherry. The mouthfeel is taut, agile and deliciously drinkable with an acidity typical of the wine nicely held in check by an alcoholic sweetness. A simple yet very pleasing wine.

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