Andrea Oberto

Andrea Oberto

Andrea Oberto started out as a truck driver. Back in 1959, when the family bought the farmouse, they cultivated multiple crops in order to make a living.  When his father died unexpectedly, Andrea began managing the farm. After a full day of work Andrea Oberto found energy to work the three hectares of vineyard he inherited from his father, and one day he decided to be a farmer full time. The 3 hectares have become 10, and to this day it’s still Andrea who’s running the show!

Andrea Oberto behind his wines

“93 points for the classic Barolo is more important than the 95 points for Barolo Rocche dell’Annunziata” – Andrea Oberto

During my last visit with Andrea Oberto, Robert Parker had just released his tasting notes of the 2016 Barolo’s. His Barolo’s scored very well, but Andrea was particularly happy with his classic Barolo “93 points for the classic Barolo is more important than the 95 points for Barolo Rocche dell’Annunziata”.

Winemaking

Andrea Oberto practices what I like to call Sustainable Winemaking. He has an immense respect for the land, and wants to focus on quality over quantity. This includes green harvest in the vineyard, in order to achieve the highest quality. He uses small barrels (barrique) for the aging of his wines.

Andrea Oberto Fun fact

Andrea Oberto loves Barbera. He makes 3 different ones, each one with different amounts of oak.

Andrea Oberto loves Barbera

Wines

Wines available in:
Switzerland
UK
USA

NB: Andrea Oberto is not the same as Fabio Oberto.

Barolo Rocche dell’Annunziata

Andrea Oberto Rocche dell'Annunziata Bottle Image

BASIC INFORMATION

Product name: Barolo Rocche dell’Annunziata
Grape: 
100% Nebbiolo
Classification: DOCG
Number of bottles produced: 3 800
Color: deep ruby red, hints of pale orange
Fragrance:
floral and spicy
Taste:
forward tannins, balanced
Food pairing:
red meat, strong blue cheese

VINIFICATION (Wine-making)

Ageing: 26 months in barrique
Minimum aging in bottle: 6 months

VINEYARD: Rocche dell’Annunziata

Soil:  sandy
Exposure:  southeast

Barolo Arbarella

BASIC INFORMATION

Product name: Barolo Arbarella
Grape: 
100% Nebbiolo
Classification: DOCG
Number of bottles produced: 5 200
Color: bright garnet red, orange tint
Fragrance:
bark, tobacco, dried flowers
Taste:
fine structure, powerful, good acidity, easy drinking
Food pairing:
braised meat, roasts, flavored cheese

VINIFICATION (Wine-making)

Aging: 24 months in barrique
Minimum aging in bottle: 6 months

VINEYARD

Soil:  clay
Exposure: southwest

Barolo

BASIC INFORMATION

Product name: Barolo
Grape: 
100% Nebbiolo
Classification: DOCG
Number of bottles produced: 16 000
Color: garnet red
Fragrance:
fruity, tar, leather
Taste:
complex, fruity, firm structure
Food pairing:
roast, truffles, aged cheese

VINIFICATION (Wine-making)

Aging: 24 months in barrique
Minimum aging in bottle: 6 months

VINEYARD

Soil: clay and limestone
Exposure: southeast

Barbera d’Alba Giada

BASIC INFORMATION

Product name: Giada
Grape: 
100% Barbera
Classification: DOC
Number of bottles produced: 5 500
Color: deep purple with ruby edges
Fragrance:
dried plum, blackberry, espresso bean
Taste:
good acidity, balanced, dry finish
Food pairing:
filled pastas, red meat

VINIFICATION (Wine-making)

Aging: 20 months in barrique, new oak
Minimum aging in bottle: 6 months in bottle

VINEYARD

Soil: clay and limestone
Exposure:  southeast

Barbera d’Alba San Giuseppe

BASIC INFORMATION

Product name: San Giusepppe
Grape: 
100% Barbera
Classification: DOC
Number of bottles produced: 6 000
Color: deep, brilliant purple
Fragrance:
generous oak notes, spices, cherries
Taste:
firm acidity, savory, red fruit
Food pairing:
appetizers, aged cheese, pasta

VINIFICATION (Wine-making)

Aging: 12 months in second passage barrique
Minimum aging in bottle: 

VINEYARD

Soil: clay and limestone
Exposure:  southwest
Year of plantation/age of plants: 
Date of harvest: 

Barbera d’Alba

BASIC INFORMATION

Product name: Barbera d’Alba
Grape: 
100% Barbera
Classification: DOC
Number of bottles produced: 24 000
Color: deep ruby red
Fragrance:
well-integrated oak, ripe berry, fruit preserves
Taste:
ripe berries
Food pairing:
appetizers, medium aged cheese

VINIFICATION (Wine-making)

Aging: 4 months in third passage barrique
Minimum aging in bottle: 

VINEYARD

% of Grape/Cépage: 
Soil: clay and limestone
Exposure:  southwest

Langhe Nebbiolo

BASIC INFORMATION

Product name: Langhe Nebbiolo
Grape: 
100% Nebbiolo
Classification: DOC
Number of bottles produced: 9 500
Color: garnet ruby red
Fragrance:
fruity, hints of violets
Taste:
warm and firm, long finish
Food pairing:
fresh pasta, red meat

VINIFICATION (Wine-making)

Method:
Temperature:

Length:
Aging: 6 months in wood and stainless steel
Minimum aging in bottle: 2 months

VINEYARD

Soil:  clay and limestone
Exposure:  southeast
Year of plantation/age of plants: 
Date of harvest: 

Dolcetto d’Alba

BASIC INFORMATION

Product name: Dolcetto d’Alba
Grape: 
100% Dolcetto
Classification: DOC
Number of bottles produced: 9 500
Color: deep ruby red with violet nuances
Fragrance:
berries and dark fruit
Taste:
lively acidity, sweet almond finish
Food pairing:
appetizers, pasta

VINIFICATION (Wine-making)

Aging: stainless steel

VINEYARD

Soil:  clay and limestone
Exposure:  southwest

Trediberri

Nicola from Trediberri

Inimitable. Passionate.  Affable.  Energetic. Incomparable.  Words often used to describe Nicola Oberto, the face of Azienda Agricola Trediberri.  And, a lover of fine wine.

I often think of Nicola as a young Bill Gates – smarter than most, passionate beyond words, with an unprecedented attention to detail, and an inherent ambition to get better every day.  Bill, back in the days, would get so passionate at exhibitions selling his vision that he would forget to change his clothes for 3 days. I am not saying that Nicola does not change clothes, but I am not saying that it is not entirely possible either.

Add multifaceted. Always a smile lurking, the jokes come regularly, yet probably one of the most serious people you will ever meet.  So visionary at times that you’re afraid he is going to disappear in into the sky, yet fully grounded.  With ideas at the forefront of wine making innovation, but always wholly rooted in the tradition.

Do not take my word for it – visit the Trediberri winery and vineyards, and you will have an experience for life.

The Trediberri Family

Nicola is quick to put out though, this is not his show alone, this is a family effort.  His father, Federico, spent 40 years working for Renato Ratti, a renowned winery in La Morra.  You do not perhaps see Anna Rosa (mother of Nicola and wife of Federico) too often, but there is no underestimating her.  She is guiding the work in the vineyards as much as anybody.  Finally, you have Stefania, who keeps the checks and balances in the winery.  In addition to making sure there is always gas in Nicola’s car.

Sign of Trediberri

Winemaking

“We love to drink wine, therefore the greatest recognition for us is a bottle that is quickly finished.”

Want to try to put Trediberri in a box labelled “Modernist” or “Traditionalist”? Forget about it. Instead, Trediberri follows a beautiful philosophy: equilibrium. Using cement tanks, stainless steel tanks and wood barrels, they modify the method each year in order to make the wine as balanced and as drinkable as possible!

Trediberri Fun fact

Whilst there is absolutely no chance of the industrious Nicola Oberto ever running out of gas, there is a big chance his car will.  We have yet to figure out the underlying logic behind the fear of a full tank of gas, but it sure makes every trip in his car an adventure.

Fun fact II

The Trediberri winery of La Morra got its name from the fact that it pulls together the triumvirate of Nicola Oberto, his father Federico and their associate Vladimiro Rambaldi.  Together they invested. 5 hectars of Berri vineyards, a hamlet of La Morra, back in 2008.  Hence, Tre – Di – Berri.

Wines

Wines available in:
Norway
Australia
Denmark
Germany
Hong Kong
Italy
United Kingdom
United States
& more

Barolo Rocche Dell’Annunziata

Rocche dell’Annunziata is synonynmous with body, elegance and complexity.

indigenous yeasts, 11 days of alcoholic fermentation in concrete (3-4 pump-overs per day) + 7 days of skin post-fermentative maceration (1-2 pump-over a day)

Tekstboks: PICTURE OF BOTTLE Trediberri Rocche

BASIC INFORMATION

Product name: Barolo Rocche dell’Annunziata
Grape: 
100% Nebbiolo
Classification: DOCG
Fragrance:
delicate, floral, spicy aromas. Cherry, rose and strawberry.
Taste: Full bodied, good balance, structured, approachable tannins

VINIFICATION (Wine-making)

Method: indigenous yeasts, 11 days of alcoholic fermentation in concrete (3-4 pump-overs per day) + 7 days of skin post-fermentative maceration (1-2 pump-over a day)
Ageing: 23 months in big barrels (slavonian oak)

VINEYARD

Soil: Calcareous blue marl
Exposure:  Southeast, south
Year of plantation:  1951, 1961, 1989, 1999

Barolo

The grapes come from vineyards located in La Morra, within the hamlets Berri and Capalot.  Alcoholic fermentation occurs in concrete and starts with a specific pied de cuve. It lasts around 2-3 weeks and, after the first racking, the wine goes straight into wooden casks, where malolactic fermentation starts. We use 52 and 25 hectoliter barrels, made of Slavonian oak, crafted by Garbellotto. The wine ages for about 2 years, then it is blended in steel or concrete and it is bottled in July, 6-7 months before its release.

Tekstboks: PICTURE OF BOTTLE

BASIC INFORMATION

Product name: Barolo
Grape: 
100% Nebbiolo
Classification: DOCG
Color: Bright pale-red
Fragrance: Rosehip, bergamot, spices
Taste: Fruity, balanced, approachable tannins

VINIFICATION (Wine-making)

Length: 2-3 weeks alcoholic fermentation in concrete tanks
Ageing: 2 years in large casks
Ageing in bottle: 6-7 months

VINEYARD: Berri & Capalot

Langhe Nebbiolo

Grapes come from different vineyards of Nebbiolo within La Morra (Berri and Torriglione), Levice, Vicoforte and Roero area.

Tekstboks: PICTURE OF BOTTLE

Alcoholic fermentation happens in concrete tanks that starts with a specific pied de cuve and lasts around 1-2 weeks with no temperature control. Each parcel is processed and aged separately until the cold stabilization. Total ageing is approximately 6 months exclusively in concrete and stainless steel, with frequent rackings.

BASIC INFORMATION

Product name: Langhe Nebbiolo
Grape: 
100% Nebbiolo
Classification: DOC
Fragrance:
Red berries, spice notes, leather
Taste: Fruity, fresh, spices, fresh acidity

VINIFICATION (Wine-making)

Temperature: no temperature control
Length: 1-2 week alcoholic fermentation
Ageing: 6 months in cement and stainless steel

TASTING NOTES
Langhe Nebbiolo 2018

Barbera d’Alba

First fermentation: pied de cuve, about 7 days of fermentation and maceration in concrete

Malolactic fermentation: spontaneous in concrete and steel

Tekstboks: PICTURE OF BOTTLE

Aging: about 6 months in concrete and stainless steel.

BASIC INFORMATION

Product name: Barbera d’Alba
Grape: 
100% Barbera
Classification: DOC
Color:
Fragrance:
Taste:
Food pairing:
Tajarin, aged cheese, salami

VINIFICATION (Wine-making)

Method:
Temperature:

Length: 7 days fermentation in concrete

Wine Moments 2019

Blindtasting

Quite a few blind tasting’s take place throughout the year. It’s how I learn. And it’s fun. Looking back on the year, two tastings stick out.

A 2014 lineup with three Barolo:
Trediberri Rocche dell’Annunizata: this was a little closed on the nose at first, but after a while a bouquet of red fruits appeared. The wine had good acidity, good balance and an excellent finish. For a “young” barolo it was very fresh and approachable.
Bartolo Mascarello Barolo: Notes of red fruits, strawberries and some spices. High acidity, round tannins and well balanced.
Fratelli Alessandria Monvigliero: Dark fruits, some ripe fruits on the nose. Good acidity, fresh tannins and a good finish. This bottle had been open for about 24 hours (with the cork “put back in”) so it was very approachable.

A more “diverse” lineup:
Elio Altare Barolo 2004: When tasting this blind, it still had so much “oumph” that it could have been mistaken for a fresh nebbiolo! This was wine of the night for me.
Giacomo Conterno Barbera Vigna Francia 2014: I have always thought the barbera from Contero has a very distinct nose, a nose very different from other barbera’s. This was really hard to figure out next to the other wines.
A Chianti Classico 1993: Curveball! Could tell this wine had some age, with notes of toffee both on the nose and in the mouth. In my opinion, this was past it’s prime. Impossible to identify blind in this lineup.

Wineglasswriter

Vietti Barolo Castiglione 2009

Vietti never ceases to amaze me. After some air, this wine from 2009 (10 years old) blew me away with its fresh fruit, round tannins and unbelievable finish. In my opinion, this wine is not even close to reaching it’s potential!

Ester Canale Rosso Langhe Nebbiolo 2015

This wine “had” to be tried. The new project of Giovanni Rosso gained quite a bit of fame, and I had to see what all the fuss was about. The wine is good. Is it worth the price? Let me put it this way, here are many other wines I would buy before this one. However, it will be very interesting following this project going forward!

Diego Morra Monvigliero

2019 would be the year I discovered quite a few new wineries. One of my favorites is Diego Morra. And one of the wines in their portfolio is a Monvigliero. You might have heard of it. Antonio Galloni gave a 100 points to the Monviglerio of Burlotto in 2013. So it’s safe to say it’s quite famous. And the one from Diego Morra is very good!

Diego Mora Monvigliero 2015 had some truffle and wet soil on the nose, quite strong tannins (typical of this cru), but still very elegant and floral.

Fun Fact Friday: Trediberri Cru

 Trediberri has a very cool cru to their name, which one is it?

Not sure if you noticed, but Trediberri has become a favorite producer of mine. The wines are good, of course, but it’s the people that make it so great! I have written about Trediberri before, you can read about the winery here. But what I maybe didn’t mention is that they are one of a few winemakers that have a piece of land in a very cool cru. Do you know which cru it is?

rocche dellannunziata

Rocche dell’annunziata

If you guessed Rocche dell’annunizata then you are correct. Not many winemakers have a spot in this fantastic cru, and Trediberri is one of those winemakers! Have you tried it? You can read about the wines on their website.

Trediberri