Produttori del Barbaresco

Vintage	Barb	Asili	Moccagatta	Montefico	Montestef.	Ovello	Pajé	Pora	Rabajà	Rio Sordo
2007	N	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R
2006	N	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
2005	N	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R
2004	N	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R
2003	N	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
2002	N	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
2001	N	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R
2000	N	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R
Vintage	Barb	Asili	Moccagatta	Montefico	Montestef.	Ovello	Pajé	Pora	Rabajà	Rio Sordo
1999	N	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R
1998	N	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
1997	N	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R
1996	N	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R
1995	N	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R
1994	N	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
1993	N?,R	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
1992	N	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
1991	N	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
1990	N, R*	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R
Vintage	Barb	Asili	Moccagatta	Montefico	Montestef.	Ovello	Pajé	Pora	Rabajà	Rio Sordo
1989	N	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R
1988	N, T*	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R
1987	N	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
1986	N	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
1985	N	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R
1984	N	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
1983	N	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
1982	N	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R	R
1981	N	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
1980	N	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
Vintage	Barb	Asili	Moccagatta	Montefico	Montestef.	Ovello	Pajé	Pora	Rabajà	Rio Sordo
1979	N, C*	R	R	R	R	R	X	R	R	R
1978	N	R	R	R	R	R	X	R	R	R
1977	N	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
1976	N	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
1975	N	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
1974	N, R	R	R	X	R?	R, C*	X	R	R	R
1973	N	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
1972	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
1971	N, R	R	R	X	R	C*, R	X	R	R	R
1970	N	R	R	X	X	R, C*	X	R	R	X
Vintage	Barb	Asili	Moccagatta	Montefico	Montestef.	Ovello	Pajé	Pora	Rabajà	Rio Sordo
1969	N	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
1968	N	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
1967	N	X	R	X	X	X	C*	R	R	X
1966	N	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
1965	N	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
1964	N,R	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
1963	N	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
1962	R	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
1961	R	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
1960	N	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
Vintage	Barb	Asili	Moccagatta	Montefico	Montestef.	Ovello	Pajé	Pora	Rabajà	Rio Sordo
1959	R	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
1958	N	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X
Vintage	Barb	Asili	Moccagatta	Montefico	Montestef.	Ovello	Pajé	Pora	Rabajà	Rio Sordo

History and Notes

Below are some notes on on the wines bottled by the winery with an emphasis on special or unusual bottling. We first give a brief history of the winery. Some additional information can be found on the winery website. Also, an in-depth article by John Gilman in his View From the Cellar entitled The Produttori del Barbaresco: The Wine World's Most Amazing Cooperative (Jul/Aug 2009, Issue #22) is very informative and is reproduced here with permission. Here also is a nice video from In-Wine which gives a basic introduction to Barbaresco and the Produttori. (The second half of this video shows a tasting of the 2007 Barbaresco.)

History

• Name: The full name of the winery is Cantina Sociale dei Produttori del Barbaresco, though it is widely referred to as Produttori del Barbaresco, or even just Produttori. I believe the legal name in Italian is Produttori del Barbaresco Società Agricola Cooperativa a Barbaresco, the last part of which is abbreviated on the label as S.a.c. Barbaresco. Prior to the 2000 vintage, the legal name was Produttori del Barbaresco Società Cooperativa Responsabilità Limitata Barbaresco, the last part of which was abbreviated on the label as Soc. Coop. R.L. Barbaresco.
• The first Cooperative (founded in 1894)
  • Toward the end of the 19th Century, Domizio Cavazza was the headmaster of the Regia Scuola Enologica di Alba (the Royal Enological School of Alba). He lived in the village of Barbaresco and recognized the unique character of its wines.
  • Motivated by this, he started the first cooperative, the Cantine Sociali di Barbaresco. Initially, there were nine vineyard owners and the wine was made in the local castle (owned by Cavazza).
  • Cavazza was a pioneer in recognizing the unique character of Barbaresco. Prior to this, Barbaresco had just been lumped in with Barolo and was often made in a sweet style.
  • The Cantine was the first to designate its wine as Barbaresco on its label.
  • Sadly, during the early days of the fascist rule of Benito Mussolini (the 1920's), this socialist co-op was shut down by the governement.
  • This first co-op was commenorated in 1994 by the current co-op with a special edition of 1990 Barbaresco.
• The current Cooperative (founded in 1958)
  • The idea of a cooperative of Barbaresco vineyard owners was revived in 1958 by the Barbaresco village priest, Don Fiorino Marengo. He was trying to stop the flow of young people leaving the village due to lack of work. The first few vintages were produced in the church basement, before the current winery was built across the street.
  • President: The first president of the Co-op (and also a grower) was Riccardo Cravanzola. whose family still owns vines in Ovello. Celestino Vacca was the president from 1986 to 1998.
  • Managing Director: Starting in 1958, Celestino Vacca was the parttime Managing Director of the Produttori. He was made fulltime Managing Director in the 1970s. He stepped down as Managing Director in 1984 and became Produttori's president from 1986 to 1998. Celestino was replaced as Managing Director by Giancarlo Montaldo, who served until 1990. The current Managing Director (since 1991) is Celestino's son, Aldo Duccio Vacca.
  • Here is the Fine Wine Geek report on a dinner I attended with Aldo Vacca which includes many photos of Aldo and his wines.
  • Here is a video interview with Aldo Vacca conducted by Mannie Berk of Rare Wine Co.
  • In March 2012, Aldo told me his father is 87 years old, still drinking Barbaresco with lunch and dinner, and doing quite well.
  • Winemaker: Roberto Macaluso worked for the Produttori as a consulting winemaker from 1976 to 1984. He had an enology degree and basically just checked to make sure there were no technical flaws in the wines. The first fulltime winemaker, Giorgio Barbero, was hired by the Produttori in 1984. He introduced some modern techniques such as shorter fermentations. The members were not happy with the results, so in 1986, he was replaced by the current winemaker, Gianni Testa.
  • Cellar Master: The first fulltime cellar master, Giorgio Boffa, was was among the founding families of the Produttori. He started in 1958 and retired in 1978. He was succeded by Franco Giordano, who had become his assistant in 1972. In 2008, Franco Giordano retired and was replaced by Giulio Occhiena.
  • Members: As of March 2012, there are 52 members who own 100 hectares (250 acres) of Nebbiolo vineyards in the Barbaresco appellation. In the begining (1958), there were only 19 members. That number was as high as 66 members around 1990.
    • When a member's wine contributes to a cru bottling, their family name is listed on the back label, though no initials are used and many families have the same last name, e.g. Vacca, Boffa, Alutto.
    • However, if for some reason, the wine from a family is left out of the final blend in one year, their name will still be included on the back label.
  • Nebbiolo Langhe DOC: From the winery website: This wine is produced every year by the Produttori del Barbaresco; it ranges from 10 to 30% of the total production depending on the quality of the vintage (the better the vintage is the less Nebbiolo is produced). It is a second label for the Barbaresco and it is made with the grapes from young vines or those vineyards that produced a less intense and concentrated juice. It still has the quality necessary to be classified a Barbaresco, but the Winery declassifies it in order to sell it at a younger age and maintain the Barbaresco quality as high as possible. I could not have said it better myself! I believe the first vintage for this wine was 1975.
  • Barbaresco DOCG Normale: All the nebbiolo vineyards of the Produttori are in the Barbaresco DOCG zone. In fact, the 10 cru wines produced over the years (the 9 current crus plus Martinenga in 1967) are all in the commune of Barbaresco. However, the members of the Produttori do own some parcels in vineyards in other Barbaresco communes such as in Gallina in Neive and Pajoré in Treiso. So far, the grapes from these parcels have always been blended into the Barbaresco normale. Thus, even in years when the 9 crus are bottles separately, grapes from outstanding sites are still included in the base Barbaresco. Note that this bottling is sometimes referred to informally as "torre" because of the prominence of the Barbaresco tower in the drawing on the label.
  • The Crus: The coop produced its first single vineyard cru bottlings in 1967. That year there were only five Cru bottlings: a Martinenga that was produced only in 1967, and 4 of the 9 they have today: Moccagatta, Pajé, Pora, and Rabajà, though the 1967 Pajé I have only seen in a Cavalieri bottling, not the regular Produttori bottling like the others. And the Pajé was not produced again until 1982.
    • 1970 was the next year that they bottled crus, when Martinenga disappeared and Ovello was added in.
    • In 1971, they added Montestefano and Rio Sordo.
    • In 1978, they added Montifico.
    • Finally, in 1982, they added Pajé back in.
    • So 1982 was the first year that all 9 crus we know today where made.
    • According to Aldo Vacca, the members have always owned significant parcels in all 9 crus, but they were introduced slowly due to concern about the market for single vineyard wines, which were afterall a new idea in 1967.

Special or Unusual Bottlings of Produttori Wines

• Magnums of some of the Cru Riservas have been made since 1971.
  • In 1971, magnums of the Rabajà cru were made.
  • In 1978, only magnums of the Asili and Rabajà crus were made.
  • In 1979, I think no magnums were made of the Cru Riservas.
  • In 1982 and 1985, only magnums of the Asili and Rabajà crus were made.
  • In 1988, I think no magnums were made of the Cru Riservas.
  • From 1989 through 1996, magnums were made only for the 3 crus of Asili, Montestefano, and Rabajà.
  • Starting in 1997, they dropped the Asili magnums and introduced Ovello magnums, so magnums are now made only for the 3 crus of Montestefano, Ovello, and Rabajà.
  • Magnums (and sometimes 3-liter bottles) are often made for the base Barbaresco.
  • Double magnums (3-liters) have never been made for the individual crus.
• Special magnums of 1990 Barbaresco to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding of the previous cooperative in Barbaresco.
• Special bottles of 1988 Barbaresco to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the founding of the cooperative.
• Cavalieri Bottlings: The Ordine dei Cavalieri del Tartufo e dei Vini di Alba anoints various wines each year to represent their society. According to their website, the following Produttori del Barbaresco wines have been bottled under this special label:
  • 1967 Barbaresco
  • 1967 Barbaresco Pajé
  • 1971 Barbaresco Ovello
  • 1979 Barbaresco
  • 1982 Barbaresco
  • 1985 Barbaresco
  • 1988 Barbaresco
  • 1989 Barbaresco
  • 1990 Barbaresco
  • 1990 Nebbiolo Langhe
  • 1995 Barbaresco
• Martinenga Vineyard: Produttori made a wine from the Martinenga vineyard in 1967 only: 1967 Produttori Barbaresco Martinenga. Some time around 1970, the Marchesi di Grésy (who owns the entire Marinenga vineyard) decided to leave the Produttori. In 1971, he sold his grapes to Ceretto, and starting in 1978, began to make his own estate-bottled Martinenga.
• Casotto Vineyard: Produttori made a wine from the Casotto vineyard in a few vintages. The Casotto vineyard is viewed as a subsection of the Ovello vineyard in Alessandro Masnaghetti's map of Barbaresco. However in Slow Food's A Wine Atlas of the Langhe, it is viewed as a separate vineyard bordering Ovello, and is also refered to as Loreto or Casotto-Loreto or Vigna Casot.
  • 1970 Barbaresco Casotto Riserva
  • 1974 Barbaresco Casotto
• If you have a picture of any of these bottles not linked to a photo, please send them to me.

 

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