Vigneti Massa Bigolla 2006

Vigneti Massa works the hills of Tortona in Colli Tortonesi, eastern Piedmont, where Walter Massa has built a reputation across both Timorasso whites and serious Barbera. Bigolla is the estate's top Barbera, grown on calcareous clay hillside soils that give the grape both depth and the acidity it needs. This bottling is from the 2006 vintage and is now fully mature. Barbera is high in acid and naturally low in tannin, so structure here comes from extended ageing: twenty-four months in French oak barrels, where slow oxygen exchange through the wood builds tannin, softens the wine and adds gentle spice and vanilla, while bottle age has carried it into tertiary territory. Expect a ruby colour with garnet highlights and an intense, layered nose of blueberry, plum and dried fig with black pepper, baking spice, leather, tobacco and an earthy floor. The palate is full bodied and savoury, with mellow integrated tannins, the firm acidity that keeps a mature Barbera lively, and a long, complex finish. Serve at around 18 degrees with a decant. It suits braised and roast red meats, game and mature hard cheeses.