2019 Produttori Barbaresco Riserva Ovello 1500ml

96 Points Kerin O'Keefe
In stock
A magnum from the most northerly of all the cru vineyards in the village of Barbaresco. The soils of Ovello have a bit more clay, which may account for the nice plump fruit that this vineyard often displays relatively early. Generally one of the most forward of Produttori's nine crus, it is a classic Barbaresco of ripe red and black cherry fruit at maturity, coupled with autumnal notes and exotic spices along with florals. An exceptional magnum for the cellar!
$200.00 in mixed 6+ or $220.00 per bottle

Grape

Nebbiolo

Its Origins

Ovello is a fairly large vineyard of 6.58 ha, and the Produttori controls a fairly significant percentage, making this one of the most widely seen single cru bottlings from the cooperative. The vineyard lies at an altitude of between 220 and 290 meters above sea level, with the vast majority of its vines facing west or southwest. Ovello is one of the oldest crus in the lineup from the Produttori, having first been produced in the 1970 vintage, which was the second vintage in which the cooperative made single cru bottlings (after the inaugural releases in the 1967 vintage). Like all of the cru bottlings from the Produttori, the Ovello is an extremely ageworthy wine that will usually drink better at age twenty than it will be at age ten, despite its often quite precocious and plump fruit component that makes the wine accessible much earlier than when it peaks. It took a sympathetic local priest to realise the only way for the community of Barbaresco to survive, in the poverty of the late 1950's, was for the winemakers to form a co-operative. The first 19 members made their wine in the church basement, but it didn't take long for this idea to provide them with solvency as well as solidarity. Quality too, as a more secure income allowed the individual growers to maintain the high standards they aspired to. Over decades the co-operative grew to it's current membership of 52, during which time it also developed an extensive and almost bewildering array of single vineyard offerings. Until recently the traditional labelling and less-than-dynamic global marketting strategy meant Produttori was strictly the preserve of experts. Nowadays however, as the world trawls Piedmont for both it's obvious and it's hidden gems, Produttori's delightfully backward labelling and proud obsession with qualtity are revealing it as one of the world's most profoundly undervalued wine treasures.

What The Critics Say

96/100 Kerin O'Keefe

"The 2019 Ovello Riserva is succulent and enveloping, offering scents of dark-skinned berry, forest floor, violet and new leather. Full-bodied with impressive structure and fruit, it boasts ripe raspberry, black cherry and licorice supported by firm, close-grained tannins that provide the backbone. Fresh acidity keeps it well balanced. Abv: 14.5% Kerin O’Keefe January 2024 ©kerinokeefe.com." Drink 2029 - 2044

94/100 Vinous, Antonio Galloni

"The 2019 Barbaresco Riserva Ovello is powerful, savory and intensely linear, in classico Ovello style, and yet it appears to have enough fruit behind its imposing tannins to develop well over the coming years. In this tasting, the Ovello feels pretty closed post bottling, but its inherent balance and qualities are there. Clean saline notes extend the finish in promising fashion." Drink 2026 - 2041

93/100 James Suckling

"Leafy lightness with a meaty character and earthy cherry and pomegranate notes. Firm tannins and crisp acidity on the classic, extracted palate, with massive structure, a medium body and a juicy finish. Drink or hold."

Variety Nebbiolo
Region Piedmont
Closure Cork
Volume 1.5 ltr
Maturity 2026 - 2044

This Wine Goes Well With

with GAME
with PORK
with VENISON

Taste

4

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