Case Corini ‘Barla’ Rosso 2016

Location: Italy, Piedmont, Asti

Winemaker: Lorenzo & Guido Corino

Grapes: Barbera

Soil: Marls, Astiane sands

Winemaking: The bunches, which have been selected and collected in baskets,are sorted. Thanks to some natural yeast, spontaneous fermentation takes place in wooden barrels. During fermentation one sole fulling process ( batonage) is carried out. During fermentation one sole fulling process ( batonage) is carried out. Wine fermentation can last from 6 to 9 weeks, then wine is aged in wooden barrels for about 36 months. No oenological intervention is applied during the cellar phase, not even any SO2 is used.

’Barla’: From 95 year old vines of Barbera, with some small percentage of other varieties planted over the years in the vineyard. This used to be land from an old convent. Deep, rich, and textured with dark fruit. A thrilling, haunting wine.

From us at M&L: Sometimes we’re fortunate enough to experience, in the work of a person, nearly all that we value, promote and hope for with respect to wine. Lorenzo Corino was a true pioneer - even as the fifth generation of his family to grow and make wine. A curious, soulful and scientific mind who, even in his earliest endeavors, attempted to maximize his relationship to his land, its fruits and other plants, by adopting what we would now call ‘regenerative’ agriculture and natural winemaking.

Growing up in Costigliole d’Asti, Piedmont, he reflected on his emerging interest in pushing the comfortable boundaries of the wine nobility that surrounded him: “It was like a dream. You have to dream to grow up. Do not worry what people are talking about you. Mainly you have to dream to reach a specific goal.”

At the time of his passing in 2021 he had been lionized by the exploding natural wine community throughout Italy, and his influence reaches well beyond. He was the author of no fewer than 90 publications covering agriculture, cellar work, holistic viticulture, the science of fermentation, etc…

These are miraculous wines that simultaneously challenge and satisfy. They are pure, well wrought, and absolutely delicious.

From the Winemaker: It is located in the area of Mongardino d’Asti (230m above the sea level), The vineyard was planted around 1928 with mostly different biotypes of Barbera. The breeding type is mostly Gobelet along with some plants grown on espaliers. In the vegetative time,thanks to current structures, the plants are located so as to avoid any topping and to make the leaves grow longer until the end of the season. The harvest season is one of the most difficult time of the year for our wines. The grape harvesting is done by hand by means of a strict grape selection.