La Spinetta, Barbaresco Starderi DOCG, 2020

The highly distinctive La Spinetta Starderi is a truly unforgettable wine in a unique style set apart from other Piemontese Nebbiolo. It has masses of ripe fruit on the nose - mulberry, strawberry jam, cherry compote, and is deeply juicy and succulent on the palate, with almost a Californian quality to it. Impressively ripe, velvety and immediate, this is a style that does not require cellaring, although it would happily age a decade if desired. The Starderi vineyard is just over the hill from Gallina, immediately above the Tanaro River, which helps moderate the climate - taking the edge off both summer heat and winter frosts.