Vintage - 2021

Country - Italy

Region - Piedmont

Grape Varieties - Barbera 100%

Alcohol by volume - 14.5%

Bottle - 75cl

Michele Chiarlo is one of Piedmont's most prestigious winemakers, producing outstanding wines from some of the most exceptional sites in Piedmont, including Barolo’s world famous Cannubi and Cerequio vineyards. Founded in 1956 by Michele Chiarlo and now run by his sons Alberto and Stefano, the Chiarlo philosophy “is to capture the terroir” and with judicious use of oak they develop some wines for ageing and some which can be enjoyed earlier. Their stunning collection of Barolo and Barbera wines consistently receive 90+ points from Wine Advocate, James Suckling and Wine Enthusiast.

The grapes come from the La Court vineyard. A prestigious site originating from the 1800s, the single parcel covers three hectares. The vineyard has a southeast to south western exposures at 240 metres above sea-level and produces very low yields. The vines are Guyot trained. The soils are designated as ‘Artisane Sands’ which consist of calcareous clay marl of sedimentary marine origin with high lime and sand content. They produce ample, intense and elegant wines with good structure and longevity. Manually harvested.

From the producer: “Snow has finally fallen. The earlier part of the year has seen rain and snow, which piled up to a height of 60cm among the vineyards of Langhe. March has not experienced rain and temperatures have always settled above average, prompting an early start of vegetation. Such conditions led us to expect another early and hot vintage, but we would be proven wrong. April and May were cooler than usual, slowing down the vine’s vegetative development. In mid-May, the vintage seemed to be a late one: the vines were growing slowly, temperatures were quite low during the night and the wind was always cold. In the first week of June all varieties were in full bloom, with some Nebbiolo and Barbera grapes already forming. The last two weeks of the month had been hot, characterized by temperatures within seasonal average and storms that brought 20-30 mm of rainfall. June marked the beginning of a long, hot (but not torrid) and dry summer that lasted until September, which was distinguished by milder temperatures during the day. The last two weeks of August were dedicated to the thinning of the lushest vineyards. Harvest was carried out during the usual period (from September 20 to 24) yielding healthy and outstandingly ripe grapes that reached utterly perfect yet extremely rare conditions Despite the significant climatic variations experienced in spring, 2021 turned out to be an outstanding vintage thanks to the excellent weather conditions that followed. La Court 2021 will long be remembered as a vintage distinguished by outstanding structure, depth, complexity, and potential for aging.”

The grapes were fermented on the skins in 55-hectolitre oak barrels for 15 days at controlled temperatures of between 27° to 30°C. A gentle shower system of submerging the cap was used to extract flavour, colour and structure. Malolactic conversion took place in stainless steel tanks. The wine was refined for 30 months. Oak maturation lasted for 12 months: 50% in 55hl French oak barrels and 50% in Allier oak barriques, followed by a further 18 months in bottle prior to release.

A gorgeous and structured wine, which is complex and elegant with layers of black cherry, cocoa and coffee. Harmoniously balanced, it has a velvety palate and a long, silky finish. Its richness and elegance places it amongst the finest wines in Chiarlo's portfolio.