Cigliutti “Campass”

barbera d’alba, italy |  2020

The Cigliuti family produces some of the finest wines in Piedmont from their cellar located in Neive, within the Barbaresco DOCG. They own around 7 hectares of vineyards, and work in two of the very best “cru” of Barbaresco, Bricco di Neive and their historical vineyard, Serraboella.

The history of the winery dates back 4 generations, but sisters Claudia and Silvia Cigliuti who are at the helm today, point much of the credit to their father and mother, Renato and Dina. After World War II, and in particular in the 1960’s and 1970’s, Piedmont as we know it today didn’t exist. It was a very poor agricultural area, with most young people moving to Torino to find work in factories. Very few people stuck it out in the region, but Renato and Dina, passionate about the land raised their family through the difficult conditions. Renato always believed in quality over quantity, and at a time when most farmers were trying to produce as much volume as possible, and sell the fruit, he began to make his own wine with quality at the forefront. His single vineyard Barbaresco, produced in the 60’s and 70’s are the stuff of legends.

Claudia and Silvia have carried on the tradition, and are cut from the same cloth when it comes to their work ethic and passion for the land. They produce a total of six wines at the estate. While Nebbiolo is the grape that most people know Cigliuti for, their work with Piedmont’s “other red” grape, Barbera is exemplary.

Ageworthy and complex, “Campass” is a single-vineyard Barbera made from 35-year-old vines within the Serraboella cru in Barbaresco. While Barbera has often historically been used to make simple, straightforward table wines, over the past few decades producers such as Cigliuti have changed how they approach Barbera, treating it a bit more like great Nebbiolo by planting it in great sites, reducing yields, and aging it in smaller oak barrels.

“Campass” is made of 100% Barbera, fermented in steel vats with indigenous yeasts, then aged in a combination of new, second-use, and third-use barrique for 18 months before bottling. Dark and layered, it's fleshy, fruity, with notes of ripe berries, spices, and toasted oak. This is a full-bodied, opulent style of Barbera, yet it maintains a freshness that keeps it balanced. The 2020 “Campass” is truly a special Barbera!