Elvio Cogno Bricco dei Merli Barbera 2015
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Winemaker Notes
This is a typically Piedmontese wine, well-structured and good for aging, in which wood and fruit blend to maintain the characteristics and typicality of the grape variety intact. True to Cogno tradition, its principal qualities are its drinkability and freshness. A wine with a strong but not too international character.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
Saturated with dark cherry, plum and blackberry fruit, this supple red shows a spicy side. Firms up on the long, vibrant finish. Drink now through 2020.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
This was a terrific vintage for Barbera. The 2015 Barbera d'Alba Bricco dei Merli shows inky density and succulent softness. The grapes have happily absorbed the warm sunshine from the long growing season. The wine was aged in botte grande to maintain the brightness of the fruit and to prevent the wine from becoming too heavy. It shows a pretty level of fresh acidity and it also offers distinct mineral tones that come as a pleasant surprise. Aromas of crushed flint and campfire ash are followed by cola and balsam herb. This wine is distinguished by its savory flavors and the softness of its texture.
Rating: 91+
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Wine & Spirits
This wine’s vibrant acidity calms down after a few hours in the glass, letting the luscious flavors of black cherry and berry compote emerge. It feels rich and densely concentrated, with notes of dark chocolate and black pepper lingering in a long, spicy finish.
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The Cogno family has been making wine for four generations in Piedmont. In 1990, Elvio Cogno left a long and fruitful partnership with the venerable Barolo producer Marcarini at La Morra and bought a splendid, historic 18th-century farmhouse on the top of Bricco Ravera, a hill near Novello in the Langhe area. (Novello is one of the 11 communes in which Barolo is produced.) The farm was surrounded by 11 hectares (27.18 acres) of steeply sloped vineyards. Elvio restored the manor, converted the old granaries to wine cellars and founded his eponymous winery. For the next 20 years he devoted himself to the winemaking traditions handed down to him by his father and grandfather.
Elvio, in turn, has now passed the torch to his daughter, Nadia, and her husband, Valter Fissore, who has worked beside Elvio for 25 years. Following in the footsteps of Elvio the maestro, Elvio Cogno winery continues to produce elegant wines without altering the traditions, styles and flavors of the Langhe, with its breathtaking quilted landscape and unique grape varieties.
The Elvio Cogno winery sits at the top of Bricco Ravera, a hill near Novello in the Langhe area of Piedmont, one of the 11 communes in which Barolo is produced. Ravera is the finest cru of Novello, encircling the top of the hill and the winery, reaching a 380-meter (1,246-foot) elevation, with breathtaking views in all directions.
Friendly and approachable, Barbera produces wines in a wide range of styles, from youthful, fresh and fruity to serious, structured and age-worthy. Piedmont is the most famous source of Barbera; those from Asti and Alba garner the most praise. Barbera actually can adapt to many climates and enjoys success in some New World regions. Somm Secret—In the past it wasn’t common or even accepted to age Barbera in oak but today both styles—oaked and unoaked—abound and in fact most Piedmontese producers today produce both styles.
An historic village situated right in between the famous regions of Barolo and Barbaresco, Alba is also the name for the larger wine region surrounding the village.
In a sense, “Alba” is a catch-all phrase, and includes the declassified Nebbiolo wines made in Barolo and Barbaresco, as well as the Nebbiolo grown just outside of these regions’ borders. In fact, Nebbiolo d’Alba is a softer, less tannic and more fruit-forward wine ready to drink within just a couple years of bottling. It is a great place to start if you want to begin to understand the grape. Likewise, the even broader category of Langhe Nebbiolo offers approachable and value-driven options as well.
Barbera, planted alongside Nebbiolo in the surrounding hills, and referred to as Barbera d’Alba, takes on a more powerful and concentrated personality compared to its counterparts in Asti.
Dolcetto is ubiquitous here and, known as Dolcetto d'Alba, can be found casually served alongside antipasti on the tables of Alba’s cafes and wine bars.
Not surprisingly, given its location, Alba is recognized as one of Italy’s premiere culinary destinations and is the home of the fall truffle fair, which attracts visitors from worldwide every year.