Punset Barbaresco Campo Quadro Riserva 2016

This profound and 'monumental' red wine originates from Italy, within the prestigious Barbaresco Riserva D.O.C.G. appellation of the Piedmont region. Punset, located in Neive, is a historic estate led by the visionary Marina Marcarino, who famously converted the entire property to organic farming in 1987 making Punset one of the absolute pioneers of organic viticulture in Langhe long before it was fashionable. The name "Punset" stems from a Piedmontese legend describing how the counts of Neive would look down from their castle at the mist-shrouded valley and call the view punset, or a beautiful point. Sourced exclusively from a tiny, steeply sloped single vineyard within the renowned San Cristoforo cru, the estate operates under a strict philosophy of zero compromise, allowing the Nebbiolo grape to express its raw terroir with minimal cellar manipulation.

Wine Description

The 2016 Punset 'Campo Quadro' Barbaresco Riserva presents an elegant garnet red appearance with classic orange-tawny highlights at the rim. Its sensory profile is exceptionally deep, complex, and intellectual, opening with an ethereal bouquet of dried red roses, tar, and sour cherries, layered with sophisticated tertiary notes of leather, truffles, damp forest floor, and dark tobacco leaf. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, structural, and fiercely traditional, showcasing a concentrated core of red currants, dried cranberries, and iron-like mineral depths. It is characterized by its outstanding, mouthwatering acidity and an unyielding, tight-knit structural framework driven by robust, chalky tannins. The finish is remarkably persistent and austere, culminating in an elegant, bone-dry wave of wild herbs, orange peel, and crushed stones.

This 100% Nebbiolo wine reached an alcohol content (ABV) of 14.5%. Following Marina's traditionalist philosophy, the grapes underwent a lengthy maceration and spontaneous fermentation on native yeasts in concrete vats without temperature control. To honor the strict aging laws of the Riserva classification and let the wine naturally soften, it was aged for several years in large, neutral Slavonian oak casks (botti grandi) before being bottled unfined and unfiltered, followed by extensive bottle cellarage. True to the estate's heritage, the old vines are 100% certified organic and farmed using biodynamic principles.