The Marchesi Alfieri wine estate is located in the Alfieri Castle in San Martino Alfieri, high above the adjoining hills between Asti and Alba. We visited this winery back in 2003 since we have been fans of their Barbera called "La Tota" for many years. This 2001 Alfiera is made solely from the Barbera grapes, and derives its name from the small vineyard in which the fruit was grown, an historic four-hectare “sorì” (south-facing cru) of Marchesi Alfieri, planted in 1937. This wine is only made in great vintage years. The wine is stored fo 15 months in French oak followed by 8 months of bottle aging under controlled temperatures at the winery. We have cellared this wine for the past 4 years. This Barbera has a deep, black ruby color that is almost opaque. On the nose is an array of blackberries, plums, cherries along with some gentle vanilla and toast. This is a medium to full bodied wine packed with ripe black cherry, cassis and espresso with some nice earthiness and fine grained oak. There is great acidity along with smooth tannins that give this wine a zesty, focused personality. Overall this is a rich red wine with great length and structure. It is delightful to enjoy such a nice Barbera from this famed Asti Estate. We enjoyed this with a great pizza of Fontina, Ricotta and fresh oregano. We wish we had more!
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