The d'Annona vineyard is owned by Claudio Manera and his wife Lella - and it is here that they live. The wine of the same name is made by their son Carlo at Il Cascinone, and the result is a sublime and opulent Barbera.
Production
The d'Annona vineyard is a fantastic single vineyard site with vines in excess of 60 years old. The grapes selected for this wine are grown on 2 small parcels totalling 3.5 ha. The grapes are hand-picked, destemmed and crushed, and innoculated with selected yeasts. The must undergoes temperature-controlled fermentation in stainless steel with pumping over four times per day. The wine is then racked to a mixture of new (two thirds) and one year old (one third) French oak barriques where it undergoes malolactic fermentation and is aged for 18-20 months. It spends a further 18 months in bottle before release.
D’Annona Barbera d’Asti Superiore 2017 (6 bottles case)
Vivino ratings
Tasting notes
A ripe, intense nose of cherry, baked earth, spice and savoury aromas, leads to a silky smooth palate of sour cherry, herbs, leather with some floral, violet notes. An impressively concentrated wine with good structure, opulent black cherry fruit and sweet ripe tannins. The finish provides some refreshing acidity and lingering notes of dark chocolate and spices.
Food match
Perfect with Carne cruda (steak tartare in France) and also really good with lamb cutlets, steak or a rich Piemontese bean stew.
Info
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ABV
14.5%
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CASE/BOTTLE SIZE
6 x 75cl
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REGION/COUNTRY
PIEMONTE, ITALY
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GRAPE
BARBERA 100%
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FEATURES
VEGETARIAN, VEGAN
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CLOSURE
CORK
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WINEMAKER
CARLO MANERA
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APPELLATION
DOCG BARBERA D'ASTI
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ALLERGEN INFO
CONTAINS SULPHITES AND NO OTHER ALLERGENS
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Meet the producer
Il Cascinone was acquired by leading Piemonte producer Araldica in 1999 - an exceptional estate in the Monferrato hills which has undergone extensive restoration and replanting. Now around 70ha of the total 102ha are in full production, with the warmer, southwest-facing slopes used to grow Barbera, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon - whilst the northeast slopes are ideal for more aromatic varieties Brachetto and Moscato, along with Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir.
The 'Il Cascinone' range (and part of the Alasia range) is produced with grapes sourced from Araldica’s most prized vineyards, both on the estate itself and from other selected sites. This includes the further d'Annona vineyard in the village of Fontanile - purchased by Claudio Manera in 1998. This south-west facing vineyard is a source of premium quality Barbera, from vines over 60 years old. Grapes from d'Annona are brought to Il Cascinone for vinification.
All harvesting at Il Cascinone and d'Annona is by hand. The Araldica winemaking team of Claudio Manera, Lella Burdese and Carlo Manera oversee all production.