Cavallotto’s Vigna del Cuculo is a major league Barbera from a parcel of 50-plus-year-old vines on the western side of Bricco Boschis. This parcel is named after the cuckoo bird (cuculo)—we’re not sure why and neither is Alfio Cavallotto!
The unique power and ridiculous quality of this wine can be attributed to the mature vines, low yields, and powerful terroir of the Bricco Boschis. The western aspect and the preponderance of limestone in the soil here temper Barbera’s natural acidity, and Alfio Cavallotto explains that this ‘Barolo’ terroir contributes to an aromatic range in Barbera that is closer to Nebbiolo.
The winemaking is also distinctive, with up to 18 days on skins (a long time for Barbera) and then aging for 24 months in the same, mature Slavonian casks as the Nebbiolo wines.
2020 is a wonderfully balanced year for this benchmark wine. It’s got that core of pure, sweet and ripe black fruit so particular to this Barbera, here infused with a nuance of ink, violet and wet stones. The tannins are supple and elegant, the acidity fresh but folded into the wine’s delicious flesh. It finishes with unusual finesse and complexity for the variety.