Brovia, Barbera d'Alba "Sorí del Drago" Piedmont, Italy 2021

Brovia’s well known Barbera, Sori del Drago, is a rich, sumptuous wine from Piedmont. Succulent black cherry, plum, spice, new leather and mocha are all amplified in this potent, lush Barbera. This mouth-filling offering is a bit burly, and it certainly packs a ton of punch.

The Brovia Barbera is produced from grapes harvested in the “Garblet” vineyard (also known as “Fiasco”) of Castiglione Falletto from a 0.8 hectare plot on a south-southeast facing slope at 250 meters altitude. The major part of the vineyard was planted in 1970 with a portion being replanted in 1993. The “Sori del Drago” is fermented at 28 degrees Celsius for slightly more than a week. The wine is then racked into stainless steel tank and is aged for 15 to 18 months before being bottled (unfiltered).

In 1863 Giacinto Brovia founded the Brovia estate in the village of Castiglione Falletto, in the heart of the Barolo district. The family has been continually engaged in the growing of grapes and the production of wine since that time. The phylloxera plague, economic upheaval and two wars interrupted production for almost 30 years but, in 1953, two brothers, Giacinto and Raffaele, grandchildren of the founder, resumed full-scale wine production.

The Brovia wines are vinified in the classic style. Grapes are lightly crushed before going into the fermentation tanks. The length of the fermentation period depends on the grape variety. Barbera is aged in stainless with a portion of the Serralunga-based wine in smaller barrels, with a portion going into French oak barrels for 9 – 10 months. The wines are bottled without filtration.