Gabriele Cordero. Barbera d'Alba Superiore 'Hica'

Barbera d'Alba Superiore DOCG
Grape: Barbera

A savoury, porcini, prosciutto, tobacco-laced wine, rich damson and sloe, a touch of vanilla and big, soft tannins.  Mildly unhinged and magnificent! 15%
1500 bottles produced

Gabriele Cordero producer page

This wine is born out of Serena experiencing the joys of Argentinian wines, and a desire to create a wine of her own that reflected the essential elements of its place.  Hica’s name is from Hija, the Spanish for daughter; the Hummingbird is from South American folklore where a bird attempts to dowse a forest fire with a beak of water at a time, a simile for her deep care for the environment.  Hica is from ‘Bricco Gatti’, a 10 year old, Guyot-trained, west-facing vineyard above the cellar.  The soils are sandy, with blue clays.  The land is worked by hand to keep the soils loose and encourage wild herbs and flowers.

The Barbera is de-stemmed before a temperature-controlled fermentation lasting 40 days, the cap* is submerged for the last 10 days.  The wine is then pressed and matured for 9 months in 2 year old barrels: half barrique and half tonneaux.  It is bottled unfiltered.