Barbaresco Montefico Bric Mentina, 2014, La Ca Nova, Italy (by the case, 6 x bottles)
The Piedmontese DOCG zone of Barbaresco is responsible for some of Italy’s finest wines. It occupies the same region and uses the same grape (Nebbiolo) as Barolo, but is a third of the size (only 640 hectares versus Barolo’s 1,700 hectares). It is also 50 years younger, having produced wine labelled Barbaresco since 1890. It earned its DOCG in 1980, largely thanks to the efforts of Angelo Gaja.
For the last 5 or 6 years the Ca Nova wines have come out in the top tier of Barbaresco reviews, regularly beating illustrious competition such as Gaja, Giacosa and Vietti. However, pricing still remains very fair. Ca Nova is where you should be looking today.
A classic, old-school, the 2014 Barbaresco Montefico Vigna Bric Mentina is focused and very tightly wound, and yet the wine pulses with captivating energy. Chalk, white pepper, mint, cranberry and sweet tobacco give the wine brightness, but, as is often the case with Montefico Barbarescos, the 2014 is really a wine of texture above all else. Next to the Montestefano, the Montefico is a bit more translucent and energetic in style, which is the personality of this site embodied. I loved it.
- By Antonio Galloni on August 2017
The wines are intensely aromatic, with classic structures built on fresh acidity and firm tannins.