We heard about this special little "under-the-radar" estate in Barbaresco, separately, from two friends who are definitely Piedmont insiders. In fact, it is hard to imagine how such an amazing and singular gem of a winery could remain such a secret for so long!? Cascina Baricchi is a unique estate in that, to our knowledge, it is the only producer of a Barbaresco (for their Rose delle Casasse bottling) made 100% from the Nebbiolo Rose clone* (more on the clone discussion later). The winery is in a small village called Neviglie, which is just outside the official Barbaresco zone, though, given the quality of the vineyards and their historical importance, Baricchi is grandfathered in and allowed to bottle his wine as Barbaresco. The estate is run by Natale Simonetta and his wife, Francesca. Natale’s family is originally from the Varese area in Lombardia, not far from Ghemme and Gattinara. His family was in the tile business, though in 1991, he had an accident while skiing and had to leave the family business. He was also on the Italian national super motocross team and had to leave that as well. After the accident, he decided to move to Barbaresco, where his father had bought an estate back in 1979. It was there that Natale fell in love with wine. And while he did not graduate from enological school, he studied with the legendary Bruno Giacosa, whom he feels gave him an ample and enlightened foundation for making great wine. The winery started producing wine in 1989, though the first commercial Barbaresco bottled was from the 1996 vintage. The winery produces approximately eight to ten thousand bottles of Barbaresco per year, which in fact is all released as Riserva. They previously made two Barbaresco, the Rose delle Casasse, made from 100% Nebbiolo Rose, and the Quindicianni which had been a blend of Nebbiolo Rose and Nebbiolo Michet. This changed with the 2010 Quindicianni. Beginning with the 2010 vintage, the Quindicianni is a library release of the Rose delle Casasse bottling. Both wines are bottled at the same time. The Quindicianni then spends ten years in bottle before release, whereas the Rose delle Casasse spends just one year in bottle before release. So, all of their Nebbiolo fruit goes into one wine, with two releases. Their vineyards are in the Casasse and in Roncaglie. Casasse, which is in Neive, was not granted status as an official cru or “menzioni” for the DOCG. The original vines in the vineyard were planted in 1913, and the subsequent replantings were made from massale selections from those old vines. Currently, there are .4 hectares of vines from 1913, .2 planted in 2008, and .8 planted in 2009. Some claim that Nebbiolo Rose is genetically distinct from Nebbiolo and a separate grape entirely (though related), though others believe it is just a different clone of Nebbiolo. Natale believes the latter. Baricchi’s wines are produced in a traditional style with relatively long macerations and extended ageing in large, neutral botti. Fermentations are done with natural yeasts and last 15-18 days with pump-overs and occasionally delestage as well in years where the color is light. After fermentation, the wines are macerated for an additional 10 days or so with capello sommerso, or submerged cap, before pressing into large, neutral botti. Here, the wines are aged for a minimum of five years before being bottled. The Rose delle Casasse has a very distinct style being from all Nebbiolo Rose. Nebbiolo Rose is said to make aromatic wines, though often with a bit less extraction and color. That said, Baricchi's Barbaresco Riserva Rose delle Casasse is quite powerful and distinct in style, with floral aromas but also notes of earth, spice, licorice, and autumn leaves. And the Quindicianni is nothing short of a masterpiece. At 15 years, it is still on the front end of maturity, but still brooding, intense, and complex with a long future ahead of it! And if all this wasn't enough to make any Piedmont enthusiast dance with glee, we are also fortunate that, in addition to his array of beautiful, current-release Barbaresco Riservas, Natale keeps some inventory of precious older vintages which we receive occasionally in small quantities. Just don't tell too many people or our little under-the-radar secret will get out...