2020 Piercarlo Culasso Faset Barbaresco DOCG Piemonte 6pk 6x750ml

Piercarlo Culasso inherited the Faset Cru vineyard in Barbaresco from his family — generations of vines passed down until 2017, when he officially founded the winery and began bottling under his own name. The Culasso family has always owned these south-west-facing rows in the Faset sub-zone, one of Barbaresco's prized hillside sites where Nebbiolo develops the haunting aromatics and mineral tension the appellation is known for.

This is 100% Nebbiolo from the Faset Cru, a single-vineyard expression from vines planted between 250 and 270 meters above sea level on Sant'Agata marls — the limestone-and-clay mix that gives Barbaresco its signature elegance and structure. About 90% of the vines are the Nebbiolo Rosato clone, which brings an especially lovely perfume of sweet red fruit, rose petals, and cherry blossoms. The 2020 vintage began with a mild winter and a dry, sunny spring, followed by rainy days through June that slowed vegetative development. Mid-August through late September brought a final sprint of bright days and excellent day-night temperature swings — the kind of finish that builds complexity and tannin finesse.

Fermentation runs 15 to 20 days in stainless steel tanks at controlled temperature, followed by racking, gentle pressing, and transfer to French barrels for about 12 months. Starting with the 2020 vintage, the aging shifted from neutral French oak barriques to French barrels — a subtle move toward elegance and integration. The result is a Barbaresco that's creamy and elegant on the palate, with sweet red berry fruit, a touch of rose petal, and a whisper of sweet barrel spice. Hauntingly beautiful is the phrase that kept coming up in our notes.

Ready now and terrific for a decade. Pull the cork tonight or let it rest in the cellar — either way, you're drinking single-vineyard Barbaresco from a family that's been farming this hillside for generations, bottled by a young producer who knows exactly what he inherited.