2021 Michele Chiarlo Barbera d'Asti-Nizza DOCG La Court, Piedmont

Very pretty nose that glides out of the glass like a classic Hollywood actress across the screen. It knows its marks and gets the best close up every time. Plum, black cherry, rose... it is Barbera. Bright, fresh and loaded with fruits with well placed spice, herbs and flowers. This is why people like Barbera. It is purely delicious but has that intellectual edge that keeps you coming back to the glass to explore more. 

95 points Jeff Porter, Wine Enthusiast

Michele Chiarlo founded his estate in 1956 and became one of the key figures in taking the wines of Piedmont to a wider international audience. Today the family works some exceptional sites across Barolo, Barbaresco and Monferrato, but La Court holds particular significance. Michele purchased the estate in the 1990s with the conviction that Barbera, in the right vineyard and with suitably low yields, could produce a genuinely profound wine rather than simply an everyday Piedmontese red.

La Court comes from the hills of Castelnuovo Calcea within Nizza DOCG, the appellation devoted exclusively to Barbera and home to some of its most ambitious expressions. The soils are rich in calcareous clay and marl, while favourable exposures allow the naturally high acid variety to achieve excellent ripeness. The excellent 2021 vintage gave La Court concentration and structure while retaining the freshness that is fundamental to great Barbera.

Deep ruby crimson, with black cherry, ripe raspberry and dark plum leading into violet and blood orange. Liquorice, anise and dried sage follow, with tobacco, cocoa and a little balsamic complexity developing as it opens. The palate is concentrated and generous, yet that characteristic Barbera acidity cuts straight through the richness. Dark cherry and plum fill the middle, supported by polished tannins before bitter chocolate, orange peel and savoury spice carry the long finish.

Pappardelle with duck ragù would be superb, alongside porcini risotto, veal involtini, eggplant parmigiana or grilled pork with fennel and sage. Our pick is the duck ragù, with the wine’s acidity slicing through the richness while its dark fruit settles happily into all those slow cooked flavours.

Cellaring: Drink now with a decant or cellar to 2038.