Cappellano, Barbera d'Alba, Vigna Gabutti, Serralunga d'Alba, Piedmont, Italy 2021

Frequently, Barbera in the Langhe is treated either very simplistically, with a vinification and brief passage in stainless steel, or very lavishly, with heavy-handed extraction and long aging in barrels that signify their newness without subtlety. Cappellano, however, takes a simpler approach: he treats it just like his Barolo, with a lengthy maceration and a multi-year passage in large neutral casks.

The resultant wine is always astonishing in its depth, showing the complexity this variety can achieve when grown in a great terroir such as Gabutti and treated with unflashy reverence. It is always worth holding this Barbera benchmark for a few years before opening, as time allows it to soften its edges and articulate its noble origins with greater force.

Augusto Cappellano is the fifth generation of the family to produce wine from vineyards in Serralunga d'Alba. His great-grandfather, Filippo, acquired substantial acreage there and, in 1870 established the azienda. 

The four hectares of vineyards owned by the Cappellano family are principally in Serralunga d'Alba and are supplemented by a small parcel in the neighboring village of Novello from which Cappellano produces his Nebiolo d'Alba. The land is farmed according to organic principles and the production of the wine is accomplished following the credo of "Vini Veri": indigenous yeasts are relied upon, the use of sulfur is strictly limited, vinification is traditional (long fermentation, extended aging in large, old botte) and the wine is not filtered prior to bottling.