Barbaresco Santo Stefano 2006, the taste of history

I tasted a magnificent Barbaresco 2006, a wine that despite its age was in excellent shape, an expression of a great terroir and a great man I was fortunate enough to meet and whom I run into from time to time, less often than I would like. I am speaking of the Barbaresco Santo Stefano, produced by the estate Castello di Neive di Italo Stupino, located in the small village of the same name not far from the town of Barbaresco. Neive, together with Treiso, San Rocco di Seno d'Elvio (a hamlet of Alba), and Barbaresco, is one of the places where Barbaresco DOCG may be produced.

Neive owes its name to a noble Roman family, Gens Naevia, though it did not become a municipality until around the end of the 12th century. The current castle was completed in the mid-1700s, built upon the foundations of an earlier fortification dating back to the 16th century, a period when Neive came under Savoyard influence. In these very places, in the service of the Count of Castelborgo, the winemaker and merchant Louis Oudart worked during the 19th century. He equipped the castle's cellar and, as the first in the area – as we saw in the history of the Marchesi di Barolo that I recounted – produced a dry wine from Nebbiolo grapes of imposing structure and great longevity. Under the name "Neive" it won a gold medal at the London Exhibition of 1862, thirty years before the start of modern Barbaresco production.

In more recent times, during the 1960s, Italo's father, Giacomo, began acquiring land and vineyards in the finest locations such as Messoirano, Montebertotto, Basarin, and Valtorta. And so it was that in 1964 the Castle joined the estate, along with its spacious cellars and the cascine Santo Stefano and Marcorino. Santo Stefano, within the Neive subzone of Albesani, is the vineyard where the grapes are grown that gave rise to the great wine tasted.

These acquisitions brought a turning point in the organisation of the winery, in the restructuring of the vineyards, and in wine production using modern methods – activities in which Italo personally took the lead. In running the estate, market development made it necessary to transfer certain operations that could no longer be carried out in the castle's cellars. Crushing, fermentation, temperature control, and bottling – with new machinery and stainless steel tanks – are now carried out in a new winery with a rational layout. All the wooden barrels for ageing the wines are housed in the castle's cellars, including the 33- and 37-hectolitre casks in Allier oak, used for the evolution of the Barbaresco.

Today Castello di Neive Azienda Agricola extends over an area of approximately 60 hectares, of which 26 are planted with vines, cultivated with Nebbiolo, Barbera, Arneis, Dolcetto, Pinot Nero, Albarossa, Riesling, Grignolino, and Moscato. Each variety is tended so that it may find the ideal habitat to best express its potential. Approximately 170,000 bottles are produced annually, distributed across a range of labels suited to satisfy the desires of enthusiasts and beyond. Tradition and innovation, centuries of experience in a privileged terroir, research in synergy with the University of Turin, and experimentation with the most modern technologies – both in the vineyard and in the cellar – are the values upon which the experience of Castello di Neive rests.

But let us return to our Barbaresco. The Santo Stefano vineyard enjoys a great deal of sun, with a south-southwest exposure that allows for the perfect ripening of the grapes. Being composed of old vines – the majority of the vineyard is fifty years old, while some replantings were carried out nearly twenty years ago – the root system is able to draw water and minerals from deep in the soil, an essential quality especially in dry summers. And being a vineyard with a very steep gradient, there is no issue of waterlogging, ensuring the best health of the Nebbiolo da Barbaresco.

The harvest is manual, with the selection of the finest grapes collected in crates and transported to the cellar. In 2006 it took place at the end of September, with grapes that reached optimal technological and phenolic ripeness. After destemming, fermentation begins in stainless steel tanks, a phase that never lasts more than two weeks, with pump-overs that allow for the best anthocyanin extraction. Perfect grape ripeness and a well-timed vinification will render the tannin elegant, silky with the ageing of the wine.

After racking, the wine refines in the large barrels in the castle's cellar. Let us now describe the tasting of the BARBARESCO SANTO STEFANO 2006.

A luminous garnet colour, typical of wines made from pure Nebbiolo grapes. An extremely elegant bouquet, opening with varietal notes of dried flowers (rose above all) that blend in a loving union with very fresh balsamic fragrances, typical of this particular vineyard and derived from the long ageing. The olfactory picture is completed by toasted notes that fade into hints of fruit and sweet spices. On the palate it is full-bodied, majestic, yet never overpowering. The tannin is well-present but silky, with a still lively acidity that refreshes just enough, and the alcohol lending fullness of flavour contributing to the wine's overall structure. It closes with a long finish of rare persistence, with an aftertaste of liquorice. A wine of extraordinary refinement, complexity, and richness, it was aged for 18 months in the large barrels of the castle's cellar.

A great wine, this Barbaresco, one that calls for equally important dishes such as game-based preparations – roast wild boar with rosemary, for example. I close with a personal note. In an email ten years ago I wrote to Italo about the Barbaresco Santo Stefano 2006: ".. I dare not think what it will become in 5 or 7 years ..". Now I know.