Barbera d'Alba Superiore Scassa

A rich and succulent barbera with notes of crushed berries, lilacs and hints of savory herbs and walnuts. Medium-bodied with juicy acidity and silky tannins. Sleek and seductive. Drink now.

Azienda Bruna Grimaldi is a family-owned winery in the hills of Barolo, now in the capable hands of Bruna, who takes over from the generations of winemakers who preceded her. Bruna and her husband, Franco Fiorino, put the winery on the map, bottling their first label in 1999. Scassa was named after the difficulties of ripping up the land to prep it for agriculture (to "scassare" in Italian). Barbera from various organically farmed limestone laced vineyards between 200-450m make up this serious red. This has 10-12 days of skin-contact, with fermentation in old concrete tanks before moving to tonneaux and large barrels for 6 months' aging. This is a full, and fleshy barbera, with black cherry, dark plum, ruling the mineral-laden palate. Tannins are ample and fine, with a stony grit and a lofted limestone acidity that helps prop up the weighted fruit. The finish lingers with black cherry, and just roasted espresso. You may be hard-pressed to wager 15% on this red, but that's what this Superiore clocks in at. Enjoy with richer braises this fall.