2016 Renato Fenocchio Barbaresco 'Basarin' DOCG

100% organic Nebbiolo from the Basarin cru in Nieve, where the winery itself is located. This is aged for two years in oak and two more years in bottle before release. 2016 was a phenomenal year and Nebbiolo lovers should snap up any wines of the vintage still available.  Highly aromatic, it is full, dry, and rich on the palate with velvety tannins. Red-garnet with orange highlights; dark fruit aromas and flavors mixed in with flowers, tobacco, earth and licorice. Already fairly smooth and integrated.

"Renato and Milva Fenocchio founded their estate in 1993 and began estate-bottling in 2001 the Barbaresco. The estate has been organic-certified since two years but had been following organic farming practices already in the 90s when practically nobody else in the area did (in fact Milva is the daughter of Dario Giacone and Mariuccia, who run their own Barbaresco estate, but as they were uninterested in farming organically, she decided to set off on her own). Today the estate owns vineyards in crus Starderi (it was first vineyard they bought in 1993, so in fact, their Barbaresco classico was made with Starderi grapes, though the label did not state this), in Rombone (they first made a Barbaresco Rombone in 2016), and in Basarin (they age this wine two years in oak and two more in bottle), in Cottà and Ca’Grassa, for a total of about eight hectares. The Fenocchios speak highly of Bruno Giacosa, a family friend, who back in 1993 when they set out helped them both in the vineyard and in the cellar (Bruno was a very good friend of Dario Giacone and he liked the idea of helping out the two youngsters making their own go at it). However, Renato Fenocchio is no slouch in the winemaking department, as he worked in the cellar at the Marchsi De Gresy for four-five years as well. His and Milva’s goal is to make clean wines that have plenty of acidity, and so are not afraid to harvest earlier than most other estates, provided they feel the grapes have reached physiologic maturity (Renato says that at De Gresy he worked with winemaker Piero Ballario who liked clean wines and so he wants to make similar wines). " -Ian d'Agata