Barbaresco producer recommendations

Brand new here. Have enjoyed browsing the boards and reading the opinions and insights so thought I’d ask for some help on Barbaresco.

I was introduced to the charms of the wines on a recent trip there and would appreciate any recommendations on reliable producers. I’m probably not going to be spending Gaja-like money so suggestions in the sub $50 range would be most helpful.

Thanks in advance!

The Produttori is your friend.

Sottimano. Not sure if you can still get it but flickinger’s was selling the 2013’s at $33 a bottle if you bought a case.

I’m a big fan of Fontanabianca. Very pretty feminine styled Barbaresco.

Giuseppe Cortese is a very good producer in that price range.

Cantina del Pino Barbaresco Ovello

Produttori, G. Cortese and Paitin in a traditional style from good sites and all <$50.

Sottimano is also good albeit in a slightly more polished style, but not overly modern.

Thanks for suggestions. While there visited Paitin and Produttori and that’s what got me going. Look forward to trying others mentioned.

Sadly, Bill Klapp has been excommunicated, but he could have contributed richly to this.

Try searching for some of his posts.

Klapp was excommunicated?

I’ll second Cantina del Pino and add Ca del Baio and Socre to the mix.

He went a little too much “internet tough guy” on the premier cru thread IIRC.

To me, the combination of their price, overall quality and general availability puts the Produttori at the top of the list for someone who wants to begin to explore Barbaresco.

Buy their 2012 Normale and as many of the different 2011 crus as you can track down and that’s a great way to start to gain some familiarity with the area.

In addition, there are a number of retailers (Chambers Street immediately comes to mind) that have older vintages in stock if you want to check out the wines with a little age on them to see the difference time makes.

Once you’ve established your foundation, a pairing of a few Produttori crus with some Sottimano releases might be a decent way to see if your palate leans modern or traditional.

And if you really decide to delve into the area, no exploration would be complete without checking out folks like Giacosa and Roagna to see what the very best producers are capable of.

Enjoy the “search”

Marchesy Di Gresy Martinenga may squeeze in under $50?

De Forville makes some lovely wines that are quite reasonable. Rizzi, too, if you can find them.

If you are new to Nebbiolo based wine, go with Produttorio as they give a lot of bang without too much bucks. Had an offer for the 2012 for $23 a bottle today from Winex.

Do any producers drink reasonably well early? I’m pretty familiar w/ the Barolo side, but much less side on Barbaresco. I find that even some of the most traditional Barolo (Rinaldi, Bartolo, etc) drink pretty well for 1-2 years after release before they go away and hide… but my experience with young Cortese, Paitin & Produturri’s SV’s is they are pretty tough to drink. Definitely more of a traditional lean but can appreciate a good modern producer (Sandrone comes to mind, much more so than Altare).

St. Patrick’s Day is coming up, perhaps we can bring him back for a bit O’the Blarney??

Thanks to all for the guidance. I’m hunting down the suggestions - including some with age to start building the Nebbiolo tasting base. Cheers.

Yeah, definitely a treat, if you can find it. Also a fan of Ca’ del Baio and Podere Ruggeri Corsini.

Cigliuti Serraboella, just north of $50
Cigliuti Vigne Erte, a bit south of $50