2022 Vicara, Barbera del Monferrato DOC, Cascina Rocca 33, Comune di Treville, Piemonte, Italy.
Another good all new discovery at this year’s Slow Wine tour stop in San Francisco, this Vicara Cascina Rocca 33 Barbera from the Monferrato zone was a real tasty effort, a wine that I hope to enjoy more of and share with friends. The deep garnet/purple hued 2022 Vicara Barbera is nicely aromatic with dark berry fruit, crushed violets, brambly herbs and a subtle earthy loam note, all of which come across nicely on the full bodied palate as well, showcasing some crushed Marionberry, currant, plum and tart blueberry fruit, plus briar, minty licorice, a hint of saddle leather and lingering kirsch. This was a fine example of varietal and terroir that would easily satisfy most any Barbera fan and it would be even better with rustic cuisine and a no pretense meal, very enjoyable stuff. This bottling sees only Barbera, but Vicara does use Freisa in small amounts in their other offerings, which I would be interested in trying as well, this is definitely a label I plan on keeping an eye on, especially as I’m big fan of grape and the region.
From what I gathered at Slow Wine, the Vicara Winery is a small family-owned and operated estate that is focused almost exclusively on Barbera wines using sustainable and eco-friendly methods. Their vineyards are situated in a picturesque valley that has long been a home to Barbera and that provides the perfect growing conditions for their efforts, giving depth and ripeness, but having good balance, helping deliver the house and elegant detail I found in their Cascina Rocca 33 bottling. The Cascina Rocca 33 is a very limited offering from Vicara coming from a tiny parcel of vines in a unique micro climate with a mix of sand and clay marls. The winery notes that the label depicts the plaque of number 33 of old ruins of the Cascina Rocca, once a château, which they say is poetically placed in the middle of their vine rows and the plot is just 2 hectares on an exposed ridge that is always buffeted by the north winds. Only done in the best vintages the Vicara Cuscina Rocca 33 is 100% pure Barbera, organically farmed and fermentation is with indigenous yeasts in steel vats with a skin maceration going for 5-7 days and then the wine aged in stainless for close to 9 months, to preserve purity and freshness. I’m not sure if Vicara has a current US importer, but this certainly is a wine to look for.
($40 Est.) 93 Points, grapelive