Cascina Baricchi Barbaresco Riserva “Rose delle Casasse” 2017 750ml

There’s an interesting history to many of the Langhe’s greatest wines. But even within that context, Rosé delle Casasse Riserva stands out. And it begins with the vines themselves: twenty rows of Nebbiolo Rosé planted in 1913 on a west-facing slope of clay, sand-and-limestone Sant’ Agata marl, on the border of Neive and Neviglie. Vines this old are almost non-existent in the Langhe, and old Nebbiolo Rosé vines are rarer still. With only twenty rows of the original vines having survived, Casasse’s Rosé is a Barbaresco treasure. They represent one of the last ancient plantings of a distinct Piemontese grape variety, in a remote, little-known place chosen to optimize its qualities.