AGOSTINO PAVIA & FIGLI Agliano Terme

The Asti and Monferrato regions of Piemonte, east of the Barolo zone, are perfectly suited to the Barbera variety. Along with the rest of the region, there has been a substantial qualitative improvement in winemaking techniques during the last two decades, most specifically in controlling the high natural acidity of the Barbera grape by keeping yields low, ensuring proper ripeness, allowing the malo-lactic fermentations to complete, and in the use of greater or lesser amounts of new oak.

Agostino Pavia recognised early on the potential for making fine wines here, and his two sons Guiseppe (‘Pino’) and Mauro have carried the improvements forward. Bricco Blina is a single vineyard bottling, vinfied in stainless steel and bottled after about 10 months without any contact with oak. It has a bright colour, aromas of red berries and minerals, with classic raspberry and cranberry flavours, bright and luscious, and a long finish. It is delicious with seared salmon. The Moliss ‘lieu-dit’ has older vines, and the wine is consequently able to carry oak, in this instance a mixture of 30,000 litre Slovenian oak, and 500 litre Allier. It has aromas of raspberry and wild herbs, with a meatier, richer, more textured, palate than the Blina, displaying hints of dark chocolate and cranberry, and a long, intense finish.