2024 Azienda Agricola Lalu Barbera D'Alba

Juicy, energetic, and completely alive — black cherry, blackberry, violet, a whisper of spice and fresh lavender, with Barbera's signature bright acidity carrying the fruit long and clean through a finish that is both generous and precise. The 2024 Lalù Barbera d'Alba is organically farmed 100% Barbera from a 1.5-hectare parcel in the southern portion of the Bussia cru in Monforte d'Alba — vinified in concrete, eight months aging before release, native yeast, minimal intervention. Like the Nebbiolo, 2024 was a difficult vintage — cold, wet at harvest, rigorous selection — and the concentration that came through that difficulty shows in every sip. Same estate, same two friends, same conviction: Lara Rocchetti and Luisa Sala met at university, harvested with Dominique Lafon and Cécile Tremblay, and came home to Langhe to make wines that feel more Burgundy than Barolo in their instinct for precision and restraint. The Nebbiolo gets all the attention. Don't sleep on this.