Giacomo Conterno Barbera d'Alba Vigna Francia 2022

Rating: 94 Publication: Vinious The 2019 Barbera d'Alba Vigna Francia marries elegance, power and energy. Inky blue/purplish fruit, menthol, licorice and sage are some of the nuances that build as this creamy, textured Barbera slowly opens in the glass. The Francia is wonderfully somber and mysterious, with striking shades of dimension that reveal themselves over time. The 2019 was just bottled, but its pedigree is evident.

Barbera does not mind a hot vintage, and from that we can extrapolate that this variety has the most latitude when it comes to climate change. However, it is also vulnerable to Esca disease, and this is a big concern for vintner Roberto Conterno and the winemaking community at large. The 2022 Barbera d'Alba Vigna Francia sees fruit mostly from the lower part of this celebrated site, with vines planted in 1974. Various stages of vine replacement have occurred over the years, and the team is now deciding to start more comprehensive replanting efforts. "Things have gotten worse in the last three years," he says. The Francia vineyard has calcareous soils at the top with sandy and blue marl below. That layer is almost as hard as cement, he says, and it starts to break apart in areas closer to the surface. The soils between upper and lower Francia (with Nebbiolo and Barbera, respectively) don't change too much. This is a beautiful wine with lingering aromas of dark fruit, sous-bois, potting soil and wet iron. The wine's fruit profile grows with time in the glass, giving black cherry intensity. With an ample 15.5% alcohol content, it offers a very richly developed mouthfeel with extra textural heft.