Cascina Morassino Barbaresco Morassino 2022

Cascina Morassino is a small family estate founded in 1984 by Mauro Bianco, working 3.5 hectares in Barbaresco and a further hectare in Neive. This wine comes from Nebbiolo planted on the blue-grey calcareous marls that define the Barbaresco hillsides, soils that hold water and lend the grape its perfume and fine structure. Barbaresco sits slightly warmer and lower than neighbouring Barolo, so the wines tend to be a touch more approachable in their youth while keeping the variety's high tannin and acidity. The fruit is fermented on its skins, then aged for 18 months in large old foudres, where the low ratio of wood surface to wine allows slow, gentle oxygen exchange that softens the tannins without adding obvious oak flavour. The colour is the pale garnet typical of Nebbiolo. The nose leads with sour cherry, dried rose and violet, moving into leather, tobacco and earth with air. The palate is medium bodied and firmly tannic, the fruit framed by bright acidity and a savoury, almost balsamic finish. Serve at 16 to 18 degrees and decant an hour ahead. Good with braised beef, game and aged hard cheese.