De Forville 'Cascina Buc' Barbera d'Asti, Piemonte, Italy 2018

De Forville 'Ca' del Buc' Barbera d'Asti, Piemonte, Italy 2018

The DeForville family emigrated to Piedmont from Belgium in 1848 and established themselves in the village of Barbaresco in 1860. Here, the family was instantly engaged in growing the Nebbiolo grape under the direction of Gioachino De Forville. He was succeeded by his son, Vincenzo, followed by Vincenzo’s nephew, Paolo and, then, the fourth generation is represented by Paolo’s daughter, Mafalda and her husband, Bruno Anfosso. Now, the fifth generation is in place: Valter and Paolo Anfosso, the two sons of Bruno and Mafalda.

• Winemaker: Valter and Paolo Anfosso
  
• Farming: Organic
• Variety: Barbera 100%
  
• Terroir: From the Ca del Buc cru in Castagnole Lanze. Limestone-clay marls, guyot-trained vines planted in 1996.
  
• Vinification: Hand harvested. After total destemming, wine ferments spontaneously in stainless steel tanks. Cuvaison lasts 10-14 days, and wine remains on lees until racking after spontaneous malolactic in tank.
  
• Aging:  12 months in 50-60-hl neutral Slavonian oak botti
  
• Tasting Notes: A touch more racy with notes of game, this Barbera speaks of its origins in the Asti district as opposed to the more somber and elegant wines from the Alba zone.

From our April 2021 Explore Bottle Club Notes:

De Forville  |  ‘Ca' Buc’ Barbera d’Asti  | Piemonte, Italy  |  2018

     DECANTsf loves Piemontese wines. We really, really do. And while we would love to drown ourselves in a bathtub of Nebbiolo, we could never forget the gorgeous and most affordable red wine of the region: Barbera. 

    Piemonte has two main areas for Barbera: Asti and Alba. Alba Barberas tend to be a bit more brooding and tannic, and Asti is known for its flirty, fruity style. But while Asti can be overlooked, it should never be counted out. 

    De Forville is a name known in the Barbaresco region. In 1848, the De Forvilles, a Walloon family from Belgium, moved to Italy to find a better life, and established themselves in Piemonte in 1860. Beginning as grape growers in Barbaresco, patriarch Gioachino De Forville taught his family to follow in his footsteps. Vincenzo, his son, took the reigns, then passed the legacy to nephew Paolo, who in turn handed it off to his daughter Mafalda, who in turn entrusted the estate to her sons, Valto and Paolo Anfosso, the fifth generation of De Forville family growers. Their vineyard land has expanded over the 150 years, and their Nebbiolo and Dolcetto comes from the hills of Barbaresco, with Barbera, Moscato, and Chardonnay coming from Castagnole Lanze, where the clayish, sandy soils are perfect for those aromatic wines. Even though they have land in two communes, they only hold about 11 hectares in total of vineyards, which allows them to keep a focus on their family tradition of organic farming and making small production (less than 10,000 cases total!), elegant wines.

    The DeForville Barbera d’Asti is a full-bodied wine from the family’s cru “Cascina Buc”, about 2.5 miles west of Barbaresco. The vines are about 25 years old and hand-harvested, then fermented in stainless steel to capture the vibrant aromatics of perfectly ripe Barbera. The wines spend about 1 year in neutral Slavonian oak botti, and brings about a juicy palate of game, bramble berries, sour cherry, and coffee spice. Both rich in body but light on its feet, the Cascina Buc Barbera is fantastic right now but can absolutely hang out in the cellar for a few more years. 

    We like Barbera like this with meatballs and polenta, anchovies in tomato sauce, portobello burgers, and collard greens with ham hocks. Try it out!

— Cara Patricia