Cascina San Leto Ricci '1929' Barbera Colli Tortonesi DOC 2017 750ML
Variety: Barbera
Vineyards: Old vines, South, Southwest facing, 290 meters a.s.l., Tortonian marl
Vinification: Hand harvested into steel with 15 days of maceration on the skins, submerging the cap. The wine then ages for 24 months in small neutral chestnut oak barrels plus 2 years in the bottle.
Tasting Notes: A wine to wait for, never immediate even in marketing but upon opening it offers freshness, smooth, velvet tannins, fruit and earth with a slightly savoury finish. Lots of dried red flowers, dark berries, and dark spice.
Deep in Piedmont’s stunning Colli Tortonesi hills, Daniele Ricci has been making unforgettable natural wines from local grapes, most notably the once almost forgotten white variety Timorasso, since the late 90’s when he took over the small family estate. Having married the naturalist ethos, he converted his 8 hectares to organic farming (although he goes way beyond that obviously), while in the cellar he works exclusively with wild fermentations and nothing added nor taken away. None of Ricci’s wines are filtered nor fined and contain very little sulphur. Daniele is quietly confident in this “less is more” philosophy and his son Mattia seems equally reassured about the future and sustainability of their azienda. Often quite extended skin contact for the whites infuses them with depth of emotion and complexity, as is the case with Daniele’s beautifully successful experimentation with local wood such as chestnut and acacia and guided oxidation.