Introduction Merli is the name of the hill where this vineyard is located; Bricco (meaning “hill”) indicates that this vineyard is located at the very top of the hill. Vineyard Profile Vineyards: 100% Barbera Grape Source: 100% estate vineyards located on the top of the hill; Novello village; Ravera area Cultivation: Vertical trellising, Guyot pruning, 100% organic (not yet certified) Size: 1.8 hectares (4.45 acres) Vine Age: Average vine age 22 years old Soil: Limestone/clay Elevation: 300 meters (984 feet) above sea level Exposure: South-southeast Density: 4,500 vines/hectare (1,821 vines/acre) Vintage Report The 2018 harvest was quite late and arduous; yet, the crop shows immense promise after a long and engaging growing season. The beginning of spring was quite difficult due to the heavy rain, and the summer was considerably warm and quite dry. The conditions allowed the vines to catch up upon a quite slow start. From the last days of June through the month of July, the sunny days encouraged a fast vegetative growth that required several trimmings and manual leaves thinning, especially in the shaded internal parts that were less active in photosynthesis. These efforts produced even cluster growth, and it carried to an early veraison in the month of August. Toward the beginning of September, the temperature dropped significantly during the night but warm and dry during the day, a perfect condition to promote the phenolic ripening (skin and seeds on the red grapes). Harvest Date(s): End of September – start of October Vinification Fermentation: 100% in stainless-steel fermentors with 9-12 days skin contact, temperature controlled, with automatic pump overs; 100% with indigenous yeast Malolactic: 100% in steel fermenters Aging: 1 year barrel-aging in used, 25-hl (660-gallon) Slavonian oak; bottle-aged for 6 months. Bottled without filtration Technical Information Varietal Composition: 100% Barbera Alcohol: 15.35% TA: 6.67 g/L RS: 0.5 g/L Tasting Notes The 2018 Barbera d’Alba Bricco dei Merli explodes from the glass with a rush of dark red fruit, flowers and spices. With vibrant acidity, it shows fabulous mid-palate juiciness in a supple, inviting style that is immensely satisfying. Sweet floral notes reappear on the finish, it shows a great balance now already. Serving Suggestions: Serving temperature: 18° C