2021 Rosanna Sandri Barbaresco Rizzi

The Sandri family's history in Barbaresco stretches back to 1950, when Mario and Teresina Sandri began planting vines in San Rocco Seno d'Elvio, a hillside hamlet just south of the village of Barbaresco. Their daughter Rosanna, born in 1959, grew up working the land, and in 1978 she married Franco Prandi, a grower from neighboring Treiso, uniting two smallholdings into a larger estate. Rosanna and Franco gradually shifted from selling grapes to bottling their own wine, adding Barbaresco from the family's plots in the celebrated Rizzi cru; today the estate is farmed with a deliberately minimalist philosophy: no chemical additions, embraced biodiversity, and even a rejection of tractors in favor of more traditional vineyard work, now carried forward by sons Mauro and Roberto. Sourced from 100% Nebbiolo on vines planted between 1967 and 2004 in the Rizzi MGA, at 230-300 meters elevation on limestone clay and sandy soils, the wine is fermented in stainless steel, undergoes malolactic in tank, and is aged 12 months in large 50hL oak botti followed by further time in concrete before bottling roughly three years after harvest, a patient, traditional approach that lets the wine develop without excessive new oak influence. The result is a poised, complex Nebbiolo showing lifted aromas of red currant, cherry, raspberry, cola, and pressed rose petal and violet, layered with subtle spice, tobacco, and dried herbs. On the palate, expect a light ruby color that belies real depth and length, with vibrant acidity, fine tannins, and a long, mineral-driven, red-fruited finish. Critics have praised it as a beautiful, traditionally styled expression of Barbaresco, singling it out among recent Rizzi releases for its character and energy, with strong potential to develop further through the late 2020s and beyond.