Barbaresco, Rizzi 2016 100ml

The wines of Barbaresco are made from the same grape as Barolo, nebbiolo, but tend to be softer, more fragrant and immediately appealing, more ‘feminine’ than the sterner more ‘masculine’ virtues of the latter. Barbaresco is only a third the size of its neighbour Barolo, with only three communes, Barbaresco, Neive and Treiso. In a recent comparative tasting of wines of Barbaresco the wines of Rizzi were notable for their fruit and perfume.

The Dellapiano family have lived here since the 19th century but it was the grandfather who first bought land and the father who was first to bottle his own wine seriously. The family know their land extremely well and have a highly intelligent attitude to winemaking to make the most of their grapes.

Rizzi, named after one of the crus, is owned by Enrico Dellapiano and sister Jole, who own 35 hectares of vines on slopes both sides of the hill on top of which their winery sits. 15 hectares are planted with nebbiolo and their holdings lie in all three Barbaresco zones, including the four crus of Rizzi, Pajorè, Manzola and Nervo.