The Generosity of Back-Vintage Barbaresco
1996 Ceretto Barbaresco Bricco Asili
In Pursuit of Value, Class and Terroir
"Phenomenal... tons of fruit in an expansive, generous style... still young... the balance was exceptional. Readers lucky enough to own this gem can look forward to another 15-20 years of very fine drinking."
- Antonio Galloni, Hedonist's Gazette, March 2009
Today's formula is quite simple: a well-respected producer, an outstanding vintage, a top site and drinking in its sweet spot now yet with two more decades' steam in its tank.
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This is exactly the kind of wine that makes another two months of cold gray skies and slush seem manageable. This is a great little bottle that will make for a happy, delicious night in with a warm, earthy bowl of mushroom risotto or osso buco.
The Ceretto domaine, founded in the 1930s by Riccardo Ceretto, is now backed by his sons Bruno and Marcelo, better known as the Barolo Brothers - though in this case they’d be equally qualified to be called the Barbaresco Brothers. They’re well-respected for their pursuit of the finest Piemontese terroir, having set up a constellation of family-run wineries in the best crus of Barolo and Barbaresco. The Bricco Asili was their first, opened in 1973 - a top-notch site that faces south and south-west on a primarily clay and silt bed.
Here they maintain the region's traditional winemaking values with a slightly more modern style that isn't overly polished and speaks clearly to the terroir while it glows more than broods.
The 1996 Bricco Asili (96 was an outstanding vintage in Piedmont) is indeed glowing brightly right now, "a big, explosive wine," as Antonio Galloni noted after his tasting last March. It's packed with piles of bright cherry fruit yet also wonderfully redolent and generous with the Nebbiolo grape’s signature notes of tar, violets and a touch of licorice or menthol liqueur that all seem to have been tucked away together in a treasure box for the last 15 years. Make that a cool, dark cellar.
What’s more is that Galloni ends his tasting note with a tantalizing word of encouragement: "Readers lucky enough to own this gem can look forward to another 15-20 years of very fine drinking." So go ahead and enjoy a bottle this winter and save a couple more for the next few. Please note, though, that our quantities are limited, and we expect this to move quickly - all orders will be subject to confirmation.
To place your order, please email us at offers@crushwineco.com or call the store at (212) 980-9463.
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Ian McFadden
Director, Fine & Rare Wine
Crush Wine & Spirits
Compare at $90
Antonio Galloni, from Hedonist’s Gazette in March 09: Ceretto’s 1996 Barbaresco Bricco Asili was phenomenal. A big, explosive wine, it revealed tons of fruit in an expansive, generous style. The wine was still young, but the oak was beautifully integrated and the balance was exceptional. Readers lucky enough to own this gem can look forward to another 15-20 years of very fine drinking.
Wine arrives February 2011
NET | No further discount