{"product_id":"scarpa-barbera-dasti-la-bogliona-2020","title":"Scarpa Barbera d'Asti La Bogliona 2020","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Land\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBarbera was long dismissed as Piedmont's everyday grape, the wine farmers drank while saving their Nebbiolo for special occasions. La Bogliona is Scarpa's argument that Barbera can be as serious as anything in the region. It comes from a single vineyard in the Bogliona locality near Nizza Monferrato, on soils unusually high in sand, close to 40 percent, along with magnesium. Scarpa calls the wine la figlia della sabbia, the daughter of sand, because that sandy ground is what gives it perfume and lift most Barbera lacks, without costing it structure. This is one of the sites that proved Barbera d'Asti could be a great wine, not just a good one.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Wine\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e100% Barbera. Scarpa treats it exactly as they treat their Barolo and Barbaresco: slow, traditional fermentation in large old truncated wooden vats, then two to three years aging in big oak botti of 2,000 to 10,000 liters, followed by several more years resting in bottle before release. Nothing here is rushed. Expect black cherry, plum, dried violet, tobacco, and sweet spice, with Barbera's signature bright acidity, a fine, savory tannic frame, and a long, layered finish. This drinks with the depth of a serious aged red and can hold for 15 to 25 years. The 2020 vintage was warm but balanced in Piedmont, giving ripe fruit with the acidity Barbera needs.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe People\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAntica Casa Vinicola Scarpa was founded in 1854 and has worked from its cellar in Nizza Monferrato since 1880. Its reputation was built by Mario Pesce, one of the first producers anywhere to treat Barbera d'Asti as a wine worth aging, and by cellarmaster Carlo Castino, who made the first great vintages of La Bogliona starting in 1974. The house style has never changed: low yields, long fermentations, aging in large traditional botti rather than new barriques, and patient bottle age before release. The vines are farmed organically, though without formal certification, and Scarpa keeps one of Piedmont's deepest libraries of old-vintage Barbera.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFood Pairing\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBarbera's acidity makes it one of the great food reds, and a wine this structured can handle rich, hearty cooking. Pour it with brasato or braised short ribs, with agnolotti del plin in a meat sauce, with roasted or grilled red meat, or with an aged cheese like Castelmagno. Its freshness also cuts through fattier dishes like sausage and lentils or a bollito misto. Decant a bottle before serving. The kind of Barbera that quietly makes the case Piedmont has more than one great red grape.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Old World","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50540750045407,"sku":null,"price":65.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0439\/7436\/1248\/files\/P7080653.jpg?v=1783568417","url":"https:\/\/denverwinemerchant.com\/products\/scarpa-barbera-dasti-la-bogliona-2020","provider":"Denver Wine Merchant","version":"1.0","type":"link"}