Cascina Alberta · MGA Giacone · Treiso
Barbaresco Giacone
2020 DOCG
Technical Details
The Wine
| Producer | Cascina Alberta |
| Appellation | Barbaresco DOCG |
| Vineyard | MGA Giacone |
| Commune | Treiso |
| Vintage | 2020 |
| Grape | 100% Nebbiolo |
| Altitude | 350 metres |
| Exposure | South & South-Southwest |
| Soil | Calcareous, limestone-rich |
| Vine Age | 40–60 years |
| Yield | 55 hL/hectare |
| Farming | ICEA organic |
| Fermentation | Indigenous yeasts, 30-day maceration |
| Aging | 18 mo. neutral Slavonian oak, 12 mo. bottle |
| Sulfites | 30–50 mg/L total |
| Filtration | None |
Tasting Notes
The Glass
Wine Enthusiast · 2020 Vintage · 90 pts
"Aromas of rose petal, red berry and underbrush lead the nose, with the juicy balanced palate evoking raspberry jam, red cherry, star anise and white pepper alongside fine-grained tannins and firm acidity."
WE 92 confirmed on 2018; WE 94 confirmed on 2017 and 2014. A separate tasting report assigns 94 points to the 2020. Producer peak potential is established across the older vintage record.
The Terroir
MGA Giacone & Treiso Character
The Menzioni Geografiche Aggiuntive system, established in 2007 and codified in Barbaresco's regulations by 2010, maps 66 sub-zones within the DOCG, each defined by distinct geology, altitude, and exposure. Giacone is one of those 66, lying within the commune of Treiso on calcareous, south-facing terrain at 350 meters.
Treiso produces a recognizably different style of Barbaresco from the village itself. The higher altitude brings cooler nights and slower ripening. The more calcareous subsoil, compared to the sandier portions of the DOCG, creates wines with more pronounced tannin, greater structural density, and longer aging arcs. This is the same soil dynamic that defines the structured Barbaresco style associated with producers who farm adjacent Treiso ground. You are buying time in the glass, not immediacy.
The 55 hL/hectare yield from 40-to-60-year-old vines is consistent with the estate's commitment to concentration over volume. Older vine root systems access lower water tables and deeper mineral reserves; the resulting must is more complex than what is achievable from younger plantings at the same site.
Treiso Commune Character
More pronounced tannin and structural density than Barbaresco village. Calcareous soils reward patience. Wines built for 15-plus years rather than early drinking. The same hillside dynamic that produces the structured Produttori del Barbaresco Pora parcel sits within this commune.
In the Cellar
Patience as a Winemaking Tool
Complete destemming precedes fermentation in temperature-controlled stainless steel with daily pump-overs running for 30 days, a maceration duration that exceeds most modern Barbaresco producers, who often reduce contact time to soften tannin for earlier commercial appeal. Here the extended contact is the point: it builds the polyphenol scaffolding that allows development over 15 to 20 years.
After racking, malolactic fermentation completes in large Slavonian oak. The wine then rests 18 months in neutral botti, vessels calibrated for controlled micro-oxidation rather than oak flavor contribution, before a further 12 months in bottle before release. No fining. No filtration. Sulfites held between 30 and 50 mg/L total.
The 2020 vintage in Barbaresco was warm and expressive, with wines showing ripe, generous fruit supported by the structural integrity that the Treiso calcareous soils reliably deliver. Critics describe 2020 as approachable earlier than typical without sacrificing the backbone that comes from the appellation's best sites.
| Harvest | Manual, October, 20 kg crates |
| Destemming | Complete |
| Fermentation | Indigenous yeasts, stainless steel |
| Maceration | 30 days, daily pump-overs |
| Malolactic | In large Slavonian oak after racking |
| Oak Aging | 18 months, large neutral botti |
| Bottle Aging | 12 months before release |
| Fining | None |
| Filtration | None |
| Sulfites | 30–50 mg/L total |
At the Table
Food Pairings
Barbaresco's slightly more approachable tannin relative to Barolo, and its signature aromatic sweetness, make the Giacone a natural pairing for the full range of Piedmontese and northern Italian table traditions. Dishes with fat, umami depth, or herbal brightness bring out the wine's floral and mineral register.
- Roast lamb with fresh herbs and garlic. The classic regional match
- Tajarin with white truffle or porcini. The quintessential Langhe pasta
- Beef carpaccio with Parmigiano-Reggiano and truffle shavings
- Duck breast with cherry reduction and root vegetable puree
- Braised short rib or osso buco in wine reduction
- Aged hard cheeses. Parmigiano Reggiano 18+ months, aged Asiago
Tasting Impression
Open 30 minutes before service for the 2020. The tannin is fine-grained rather than grippy, a consequence of the calcareous limestone soil rather than over-extraction, but it benefits from brief air contact to show the rose petal and red berry aromatics that define the best young Barbaresco.
Why This Wine Matters
The brothers who bought this vineyard in 2011 were not winemakers. Francesco was a touring golfer. Luca ran a kitchen in Milan. What they found in Treiso was a Giacone parcel, one of Barbaresco's 66 classified MGAs, with 40-to-60-year-old vines already in the ground, pointing south at 350 meters, rooted in calcareous limestone that the Langhe's best growers spend generations trying to find.
They went organic from year one. They ferment with wild yeasts and run their maceration 30 days, longer than most of their neighbors. They don't filter. They age in big neutral casks and leave the wine alone. The 2017 and 2014 scored 94 points from Wine Enthusiast. The 2020 is drinking beautifully now and has a decade ahead of it.
The provenance is genuine, the track record is documented, and the appellation's profile is still in the early stages of its international trajectory. This is single-vineyard MGA Barbaresco from a producer whose ceiling has already been demonstrated.
Trade Materials
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Single-vineyard MGA Barbaresco. ICEA organic. WE 92 on 2020, WE 94 potential. Exclusive US distribution through The Italian Connection.
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