Gian Luca Colombo Barbera d'Alba Superiore, Piedmont, Italy 2023

Gianluca Colombo is an up and coming oenologist in Piemonte who was recognized as such in 2014 when we was awarded the Giulio Gambelli Prize, which goes to the top Italian winemaker under 40. Having developed an early passion for wine, beginning his career as a wine consultant for a number of well known wineries throughout the Barolo area, in 2011 he opened his own winery, “Segni di Langa” near Roddi, in the northeast corner of the Barolo appellation. He makes wine in a contemporary way that respects the environment, the land, and varietal purity. His philosophy is that his wines are born from the earth and, with them, he tries to convey all the effort, passion and commitment that he devotes to his grapes. He sees himself as a farmer and he has doubled down his commitment to biodynamic farming as he believes that the results in the vineyard are the only way to achieve his goal: to produce the best Barolo period. Each bottle is marked with his fingerprint as a sign of his great passion, respect, and commitment to rare wines, produced in limited quantity.

This Barbera Superiore comes from five different Barbera vineyard plots in and around the North Barolo appellation of Roddi Verduno. The vines are between 40 and 90 years old and each plot has its own unique soil ranging from grey-blue marl of Sant'Agata to sand. This allows for a perfectly blended Barbera straight from the roots, as opposed to the cellar. Each plot is farmed biodynamically by the winemaker Gian Luca himself and tended with care.