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| ~ Domenico Clerico ~ |
In 1976, after decades of selling grapes to the local Barolo consorzio and to locals around Monforte, Domenico Clerico’s father asked his son if he wanted to take control of the family farm. With a certain amount of trepidation, Domenico penned a note to his father as he relates:
…”Dear Dad, it is with great honour that I accept the job of carrying on the business that you created with a lifetime of hard work! But I beg you to accept my wishes: with the greatest respect for everything you have done and passed on to me, I want to go ahead and only make wine. With your support, I want to show everyone that I can make great wines that people will appreciate, because the land where we live has something precious that we still do not fully understand”…
Thankfully this vision was realized and since his first Barolo release in 1979, Clerico has been crafting wonderful wines from Monforte. Today Clerico produces 9 wines in total, with 5 Barolo among them. Today’s article is about the lovely 2010 Barbera d’Alba Trevigne.
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| ~ Clerico’s winery is built into the hillside. Note the grass on the roof of the winery which extends underground ~ |
The 2010 Barbera is a striking deep violet color. Harvested by hand and fermented in stainless steel, the wine is fresh and vibrant on the nose with wild berries, fresh flowers, earth, and spices. On the palate, the 2010 is classy and rich. There’s a medium bodied core of wonderful berry fruit with fresh herbs, pepper and slight vanilla. Good length and balanced acidity keeps everything lively. Barrel aged in French barrique for 12-16 months on average, 50% of which are used. This is very well done and quite the value. 91 points, about $14.
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| ~ Clerico Barbera d’Alba from Monforte ~ |
Cin Cin!
March 17, 2014
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