Posted By Joel on July 14, 2011

Viberti Barbera D’Alba Vigna Clara 1999

A summer sun dissolves into rose-colored atmosphere over the water off Menemsha, yellow moon rising from behind above Chilmark: end of day and beginning of night are trading places.

While such beauty inspires some to thoughts of elemental origins, I drift to afterimages of a wine that immerses me in origins of its own: Viberti Barbera D’Alba Vigna Clara 1999.

Having delivered its first vintage in 1987, the family estate of Az. Agricola Viberti produces wines from six or so evenly divided hectares of Barbera, Dolcetto and Nebbiolo. Vineyards are located in the village of Santa Maria in the commune of La Morra in Italy’s Piedmont region. Viberti uses only organic soil and conducts all work by hand.

Produced from Barbera grapes grown in soil of tufa and marl, Viberti Barbera D’Alba Vigna Clara is fermented in stainless steel and sees about 12 months of small oak.

Tasting Notes:

Intensely colored dark ruby with fluting aromas of berry and herb, hints of dusty mocha. The wine’s fruit is still gloriously fresh and present, embraced by round, elegant tannins. Incredible integration of flavor components makes this Barbera D’Alba sing in a way that seems to adhere to principles of music more so than of wine. Silky and smooth on the palate, the wine impresses with ample authority of structure and still somehow seems as weightless as air. A monument to the land and great people which produced it.

Food Pairing Suggestions:

This is an elegantly expressive Barbera deserving of food pairings that go beyond pizza or burgers.

MEATS: duck breast sautéed with cherries; medallions of veal or lamb, perhaps sautéed with apples. VEGETARIAN palates will enjoy this wine with pan-fried triangles of polenta served with sautéed swiss chard and bitter oranges. The wine is superb with cheeses of character – was immensely good with Brie and Stilton.

We loved this wine with an entrée of farro pasta served with mushroom cream sauce.

PS: Don’t miss the stunning photo gallery at the Viberti website

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Categories: $ (Under $25), Piedmont, Wine
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