| Producer | Cantina del Pino |
| Country | Italy |
| Region | Piedmont |
| Subregion | Barbaresco |
| Varietal | Nebbiolo |
| Vintage | 2019 |
| Sku | 1163164 |
| Size | 375ml |
 |
Tasting Notes: The Cantina del Pino Barbaresco punches way above its weight class (and price point). Aromatics of spring flowers, sage and savory spices roll into a medium body palate loaded with tantilizing red berry notes with a touch of orange zest next to notable tannins and a balanced acidity.
Estate History: Cantino del Pino is a micro-estate run until recently by the late Renato Vacca just above the Tanaro river in Piemonte. They were part of the founding producers of Produttori del Barbaresco when it began in a church basement in 1958. In the late 1990's, they starting producing their own wines from their prized vineyards, Albesani, Gallina and Ovello. If you were lucky enough to visit, you could expect to see Renato in overalls in the vineyard or winery take a break from work to sit down and taste through the wines with you. His passion for Piemonte was palatable, or as he puts it "We speak Piemontese as our first language and Italian as our second."
Domizio Cavazza was the director of the Royal Enological School in Alba from 1888-1913. When he arrived, he surprised everyone by purchasing land and making his home in Barbaresco. The noble families expected that he would reside near the more famous estates in Barolo. Cavazza, though, was a very outspoken and charismatic man, as well as being an enthusiastic supporter of the farmers in the Langhe sub-region. Cavazza celebrated the birth of his first son by planting what now has become a well-known landmark; a large, Mediterranean Pine tree. The estate became known as the ‘Cantina del Pino’.
Renato Vacca’s great grandfather purchased the vineyards after Sig. Cavazza prematurely died and his family moved to Torino. The Vacca family has been here ever since. Four generations of Vacca family members have produced grapes here at the vineyards, which are clustered around Ovello hill. The property’s alkaline limestone soil composition and unique microclimate produce a structured, age worthy Barbaresco wine. The Vacca family uses no chemical fertilization, no pesticides either, nor herbicides. They manage the details in production and control with a hands-on mentality that follows the older natural ways that respect that same land.
