Ascheri - Barolo Pisapola 2011
Pairing Suggestions
Ascheri - Barolo Pisapola 2011 (90 TSW)
A very enjoyable and accessible Barolo from a warm vintage.
The Ascheri winery is located in the historic Piedmontese town of Bra. Founded in the early 19th century, the winery today is run by Matteo Ascheri, the dynamo who leads the new generation of Piedmontese winemakers. Matteo has introduced many innovations and produces all the major Piedmontese white and red wines, as well as several outstanding Cru or single vineyard bottlings. His vineyard practices are sustainable, without the use of chemical treatments and synthetic fertilizer. The goal is to produce the best quality grapes in order to have a non- interventionist practice in the winery.
Matteo Ascheri speaks about his philosophy of wine production: “Wine is becoming more uniform throughout the world, as producers use the same grapes, the same technologies, the same barrels for aging and especially the same consultants. My objective is to make a distinct wine that expresses its vineyard site, the grape varieties used and in particular, my own ideas about how it should be made… I want to make natural wines, with concentration derived from the vineyard that possess qualities of balance, elegance and finesse.”
About the wine:
The Ascheri Barolo Pisapola comes from the commune of Verduno in the La Morra area. It is his smallest production Barolo. The soils here, coupled with the relatively high altitude of the Pisapola site, give a forward-fruit style of Barolo. He uses a pneumatic press so as to not extract harsh tannins. Similarly, during the fermentation and maceration period, the juice is regularly circulated over the solids and there is no punching down of the cap.
My tasting notes:
In the glass a bright ruby red color with brown edges.
On the medium(+) nose aromas of plums, cherries and tea with hints of mushrooms, earth, leather and tobacco.
On the palate dry, medium(+) bodied with still medium(+) acidity and fine grained pleasant tannins. Flavours are a recall of the nose with a medium(+) length finish.