94 Points, Editors' Choice: “This vibrant and exuberant Barbera opens with aromas of boysenberry, tart blueberry, fresh
violets and roasted herbs. The palate is plump with juicy ripe cherries, wildflowers and a distinct minerality giving the wine a balance that is buoyed by crisp acidity on the finish. A top-notch wine. Drink now–2030” – Jeff Porter, Wine Enthusiast (February 2023)
91 Points: “A seductive Barbera, this is silky and charming, featuring violet, blackberry, black currant and mineral aromas and flavors. Easy to enjoy
now, yet this should develop over the next 5 years. Drink now through 2028.” – Bruce Sanderson, Wine Spectator (February 2023)
FROM THE WINERY
An excellent representation of the Barbera variety, it has intense ruby red color and violet
reflections. Del Martìn releases an intense bouquet of rare elegance, where aromas of blackberry and blackcurrant merge with memories of dried roses. It is a dry, delicate and fresh wine, well-balanced by fine-grained tannins and characterized by a very pleasant and intriguing drink, made fresh by a crisp acidity. It goes very well with first courses based on meat sauces and will win over your audience during cook outs.
Technical Details
Variety: Barbera 100%
Production Area: Montegrosso d’Asti
Soil: Mix of limestone, clay and marl
Vine training: single Guyot
Yield: 7-9 t/ha – 200-230 meters a.s.l.
Alcoholic fermentation: In stainless steel
Malolactic fermentation: In stainless steel
Aging: In stainless steel
Refinement: 3 months in the bottle
Alcohol content: 14%
Residual sugar: 3 g/l
Acid content: 5.25 g/l
Food pairing: Cold cuts, cheeses, braised meats, roasts, mixed boiled meats, stuffed pasta
Serving temperature: 16-18°C
FROM THE IMPORTER
The long and colorful history of the Ferraris family is almost too wild to believe: Luca’s great grandfather went to California in search of his fortune during the Gold Rush and struck it rich! He sent home to Monferrato the money that would purchase the family estate in 1921. For the most part, the family sold grapes or made wine for sale in bulk until in the 1980s when Luca’s grandfather Martino passed away. Luca’s father, like many Italians of his generation, had
escaped the countryside to raise his family in Turin. He briefly returned to Monferrato to give farming a go, but it wasn’t to last. After a terrible hail storm in 1985 he threw in the towel—that is to say with the exception of 9 rows of vines that would keep his tax status as a farmer!
Fast forward to 2001: Luca Ferraris finishes military service and decides to abandon his home in Turin for the countryside to cultivate a little-known indigenous grape called Ruche. As luck would have it, a chance encounter with Randall Grahm at VinItaly in 2002 led to an odd fax from Bonny Doon later that year: Randall wanted 1000 cases of Luca’s Ruche for his Ca del Solo project! The business with Randall launched Luca to the big time, giving him the possibility to invest in his beloved Ruche variety. By 2007, when Randall sold Ca del Solo, Luca had assumed the identity of Mister Ruche—his name is inextricable from the variety. He has become the ambassador and
qualitative leader of the area, as well as the president of the producers association, and a passionate advocate of the hills of Monferrato.
And so what about this variety Ruche? To quote Robert Camuto at the Wine Spectator, “A lot of places call their wines unique, but Monferrato’s Ruchè really is singular—thanks to an aromatic wallop on the nose that’s rare in reds. A recent sampling of young wines from Monferrato… floored me with their minty scents that leapt out of the glass, followed by a tannic bite.” Or Randall Graham in that same article: “I imagine (Ruchè) as the love-child of Nebbiolo and (another rare aromatic Piedmont red) Brachetto. Rose petal, anise and cardamom perfume that mercifully doesn’t cloy in virtue of its slight astringency.”
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