# Ugo Lequio Barbera d’Alba Gallina Superiore (2018)

- **Producer:** Ugo Lequio
- **Colour:** red
- **Type:** still
- **Grapes:** Barbera
- **Region:** Piemonte, Italy
- **Style:** Classic
- **Alcohol:** 14.0%
- **Average price:** €29
- **Contains sulphites:** Yes
- **When to drink:** Now or Later
- **Serving temperature:** 16–18 °C
- **Aromas & flavours:** strawberry, cherry, plum, chocolate, vanilla, cloves, leather, mushroom

## About this wine

Ugo Lequio is a classical, hands-on winemaker who manages his boutique 6-hectare estate, Cascina Nuova, in Neive, Piedmont. Since the early 1980s, Ugo has been a pioneer in transitioning Piedmont winemaking from high-yield commercial volumes to low-yield artisanal quality. His core winemaking philosophy is patience, refusing to rush his wines and aging them far longer than legal minimums. While the famous Gallina Cru is primarily planted to Nebbiolo for Barbaresco, Ugo dedicates a small, cooler, clay-dominant parcel of this top-tier Cru to Barbera. Cultivating old vines planted in 1953 on a site of such high pedigree gives this wine an unexpected density, longevity, and structural concentration.

## Interesting facts

- The Barbera vines for this wine were planted in 1953, making them over 50 years old and yielding highly concentrated fruit.
- While the Gallina Cru is famous for Barbaresco (Nebbiolo), Ugo Lequio uniquely dedicates a cooler, clay-rich parcel to Barbera.
- Only 3,000 bottles of this exceptional 2018 vintage were produced, making it a highly limited and sought-after allocation.

## Food pairing

This Barbera's high natural acidity and medium-plus body make it an exceptionally versatile food partner. The vibrant acidity cuts beautifully through rich, fatty meats and buttery pasta sauces, cleansing the palate. The low tannins ensure it doesn't clash with savory or slightly salty dishes, while the concentrated dark fruit and subtle oak spices complement roasted meats, game, and aged cheeses without overpowering them.

## Wine making process

The winemaking process for this Superiore bottling focuses on preserving fruit purity and traditional structure. Grapes are strictly hand-selected from old vines planted in 1953. Maceration and alcoholic fermentation take place in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks for 8 to 12 days. Following alcoholic fermentation, malolactic fermentation is fully carried out in large wood vessels. The wine is then aged for 20 months in large traditional Slavonian and French oak casks (botti) of 2,500 liters, avoiding small new barriques to maintain varietal character. Finally, the wine undergoes 6 months of refining in the bottle prior to release.