Prunotto Barbaresco Classico DOCG 2022

In 1904 a co-operative winery called Ai Vino Delle Langhe was founded and a young man who worked there was Alfred Prunotto. Prunotto took over the estate in 1922, giving it his own name and today it is run under the umbrella of the famous Marchesi Antinori family. Located in Alba the estate tends around 50 hectares of vineyards throughout the Langhe and Monferrato. This Nebbiolo is garnet red in colour, of good tonal intensity, complex in aroma with notes of red fruit and spices, full and velvety on the palate with a long finish and after taste. Its structured and full-bodied character make it an excellent match for meat dishes and for cheese.

*Every effort is made to ensure the current vintage is accurate; however, variations can occur. If you are after a specific vintage, please contact us prior to ordering.

Type: Red Wine
Style: Medium to full-bodied, Elegant, Firm
Grape Varietal: Nebbiolo
Tastes Like: Comparable to a Pinot Noir in its pale colour and fine build, with much firmer tannin
Alcohol Percentage: 14%
Closure: Cork
Size: 750mL
Appellation: Barbaresco DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita, Italy's highest classification, with guaranteed origin and strict production rules)
Region: Langhe, Piedmont, Italy
Terroir: Hillside vineyards in Treiso and Neive, two of the villages of the Barbaresco zone
Aging: Around a year in oak barrels of varying sizes
Serving Temperature: 16–18℃

Prunotto traces its story to 1904, when a growers' co-operative called Ai Vini delle Langhe was set up in Alba; its first harvest came in 1905. When the co-operative ran into trouble in the early 1920s, Alfredo Prunotto and his wife Luigina took it over and gave it the family name. In 1956 Alfredo sold the business to his friend, the wine technician Beppe Colla, later joined by his brother Tino, and from 1961 the house was among the first in the Langhe to vinify individual vineyards separately, with crus such as Barolo Bussia. The Antinori family first became involved in 1989, handling distribution, and took over production in 1994.

Barbaresco is Barolo's smaller neighbour, on the hills north-east of Alba, and like Barolo it is made only from Nebbiolo. It became a DOC in 1966 and a DOCG in 1980. Prunotto draws its Barbaresco from vineyards in Treiso and Neive and ages it for around a year in oak casks of different sizes, a style that keeps the focus on the vineyards rather than the wood.

Rice: Porcini risotto
Veal: Roast veal with rosemary and garlic
Poultry: Roast chicken or duck with mushrooms
Antipasti: Salumi, grissini and aged Parmigiano

Castelmagno: The crumbly blue-veined cheese of the Cuneo valleys, Piedmont's most famous
Toma Piemontese: A mild, supple mountain cheese from the region
Robiola di Roccaverano: A soft goat's cheese from the hills of the Langa Astigiana
Parmigiano Reggiano (24 months): Firm and savoury, good with Nebbiolo's grip

Risotto ai Funghi Porcini (Porcini Mushroom Risotto)

Ingredients (Serves 4):

• 30g dried porcini, soaked in 300mL warm water for 20 minutes
• 300g fresh mushrooms (Swiss brown, pine or porcini), sliced
• 1.2 litres light chicken or vegetable stock
• 60g butter
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
• 320g Carnaroli or Arborio rice
• 125mL dry white wine
• 60g Parmigiano Reggiano, grated
• 2 tbsp chopped parsley
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:

1. Lift the porcini from their water, chop them, and strain the soaking liquid into the stock. Keep the stock at a gentle simmer.
2. Fry the fresh mushrooms in half the oil and a knob of butter until golden, add the garlic and season. Set aside.
3. Soften the onion in the remaining oil and a little butter, then add the rice and stir for 2 minutes until glossy.
4. Add the wine and let it evaporate, then stir in the chopped porcini.
5. Add the hot stock a ladle at a time, stirring often and waiting until each is absorbed, for 17-18 minutes.
6. Stir in the fried mushrooms, then take off the heat and beat in the remaining butter and the Parmigiano. Rest for 2 minutes, scatter with parsley and serve.

In autumn the woods of the Langhe and the Alta Langa fill with porcini, and risotto is one of the first ways they reach the table in Alba. The earthy mushrooms and creamy rice suit Barbaresco's finesse, and the wine's acidity and firm tannin cut through the butter and cheese.