Barbera from Neive with at least twelve months in French oak. The warm 2022 gave ripe, dark fruit; the grape's acidity keeps the wine lively and firmly at home at the table.
Deep ruby red with a violet rim and a little more depth of colour than the previous vintage. The nose is ripe and generous: black cherry, plum and blackberry, behind them the sweet spice of French oak, liquorice and a light tobacco note. On the palate the body strikes first — the warm summer of 2022 is there to taste — and immediately after it the acidity, which keeps the wine lively despite all that ripe fruit. The tannin is soft and fine-grained; the oak provides backbone without taking over. The finish is long, gently spiced and warm. Serve at 16 to 18 degrees with well-seasoned food.
Cantina Francone has worked out of Neive, in the heart of Barbaresco, since 1892. Five generations on, Marco and Fabrizio Francone run the family estate, whose reputation rests above all on the Gallina hill: a south-facing cru listed on Renato Ratti's historic map of Barbaresco crus.
For this Barbera grapes from several parcels around Neive are brought together. That is a choice: a single site gives character, but a blend gives balance, and with Barbera — a grape quick to have too much or too little of something — that matters more.
Harvest falls in early October, after the white grapes and just before the Nebbiolo. Fermentation is traditional, with eight to ten days of maceration on the skins.
At least twelve months in French oak follow, in barrels and barriques. That is what Superiore means here: not heavier, but aged for longer.
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