Prunotto Barbaresco Bric Turot (2021)

Prunotto has been an Alba name since 1904, and a single-vineyard pioneer since Beppe Colla began bottling individual crus in the 1960s; the estate has been in Antinori hands since the early 1990s. Bric Turot is its Barbaresco - a five-hectare vineyard on a hilltop in Treiso, whose name in local dialect means the summit of a small hill.

The site is what shapes the wine. Tortonian soils, pale marl streaked with magnesium and manganese, give Barbaresco its lift and perfume, and a south-east exposure brings the Nebbiolo to ripeness while keeping its freshness. The approach is classical: hand-harvested fruit, fermentation in stainless steel, then around a year in large oak casks, the method that lets the site rather than the wood set the tone.

The result is Nebbiolo at its most graceful - bright ruby, with wild berries, rose and violet over a turn of white pepper, liquorice and mint. The palate is velvety and harmonious, the tannins fine and polished, the finish long and fresh. Serve at 16-18°C, ideally from a large bowl.