They grow and collect Nebbiolo, Chiavennesca, as the locals call it, from their 7 hectares of vineyards in San Giacomo di Teglio in Valtellina on the border of Switzerland in the Italian Alps.  The Sega men are grower-producers, the vanguard of Valgella with a passion stronger than the mountains they work in.  It is not easy land to work, nor does the climate assist.  Steeply terraced vineyards 450+ meters above sea level involve tremendous amounts of hard, back-breaking work to obtain and maintain 'heroic viticulture' as the Italians call it. Their strength, passion, and hard work are evident from the vineyard to the bottle. 

The wines are the most honest imaginable, respectful of the terroir and vintages. At Barbacàn, neither chemicals nor industrial yeasts are used, and no fining or filtering of wines, with tremendous attention to every detail (one must when there are minimal interventions in the cellar), delivering phenomenal wines of finesse, flavor, and elegance.

“We are farmers in the Alps, we preserve the pluralism of our ancient native vines and the cultural identity of traditional agronomic practices. In our wine, we express the vintages with their oddities and their balances, always different and always unpredictable. Every season we repeat ancient gestures, carrying on the identity of an Alpine people that has always been linked to the cultivation of Chiavennasca”

All this equals one of the very few 100% natural winemakers in Valtellina who are now certified organic by Valoritalia.

 BARBACAN.IT 

Barbacan | Rosso

Valtellina DOC

A complex wine that is easy to understand-
rich berry fruit with layers of earth and herbs brought together
with spiced wood tannins.  

APPELLATION: Valtellina DOC / Comune: S. Giacomo di Teglio
GRAPE(S): 90% Nebbiolo, Rossola, Pignola, Brugnola, Negrera, Rossolino Rosa and Chiavennaschino
YEAST: Spontaneous fermentation

VINIFIED:Aging: 9 months in stainless steel and concrete.
PRACTICE: Natural

Made in respect of nature.

The grapes come from locations located in the Valgella area. The plots vary between 350 and 450 meters in altitude and are full of granite and quartz. One hectare includes 4000 vines, and the yield is 2 kilos per vine. Small wooden barrels are used for the nine months of maturation. The result is a wine of refreshing finesse and elegance, marked by its juicy and fruity– cranberry, black cherry, and plum. Lovely floral hints, spicy tobacco, smoke, and earth. The fruity component shadows in the mouth with clear acidity, and substantial medium tannins, finishing rather smooth. A friendly first act in their concert of wines.

“Fourteen hundred man hours per hectare
are required every year to maintain our vineyard plots. This is about ten times
more than in Barbera and Barbaresco.” -Matteo Sega

Barbacan | Söl  

Valtellina Superiore Valgella DOCG

Söl is Barbacan's first cru, obtained from Nebbiolo grapes, which come from a single extreme and vertical vine called Söl which means Sun. The vinification is spontaneous in steel tanks and continues aging in small wooden barrels.

Grapes: 90% Nebbiolo and 10% Rossolo
APPELLATION: Valtellina Superiore Valgella / Comune: S. Giacomo di Teglio
REFINE: It refines for 12 months in large barrels and has a transparent garnet red color.
Aging: 12 months in large Slovenian casks.

Söl is everything a high-quality Valtellina wine should be. Respectfully made with fine attention- vinified in stainless steel, then 1 year in cask, mallo-ed naturally as nature intended, then back in stainless for a half dozen months. When ready they bottle and allow their gems to relax for a half dozen more in the bottle until released. Worthy? You will question your worthiness to drink such a prize.

The vines of Söl are a mix of younger and older set in a south-east facing parcel between 460 and 500 meters. It’s luminous and fresh with raspberry, prune, and earth invoking dreams of a late spring trek through a moist canopy of pines encircled by ripe berries. The acidity is real- bright and captivating while the granulated tannins assist the wine to linger.

NOSE: The nose exudes fruity and floral notes and then opens up to ethereal and spicy scents
PALATE: it is warm, full-bodied, of good freshness, and balanced. It closes with excellent persistence.
Alcohol content: 13,5%.

Valtellina Superiore “Pizaméj” is a complex and savory red wine, yielded from a specific vineyard area- respectfully a Cru. It is aged for one year in Austrian oak barrels. It deeply communicates the properties of the terroir with bouquets of red fruits and flowers, cinnamon, leather, and clean tobacco. The taste is sophisticated, fresh, energic, and delicious.

From Cru vineyard Livél, planted in the 1920s by Matteo's grandfather in the outer part of the Valgella sub-zone in Valtellina. The vineyard is located 550 meters above sea level on steep terraced slopes with a high proportion of sand and slate, rich in gneiss, granite, and quartz. Characteristics Deep red youthful color. The complex scent of minerals red and dark berries, flowers, fresh herbs, and forest floor linger in the glass. Tight yet with beautiful texture of red and dark fruit, delicate with a long firm finish. Great mature tannins that sit well. A fantastic wine for beef and lamb, strong pasta, good Italian pizza, veal, and ultimately game.

Production: Hand-harvested in baskets carried down on their backs due to the steep terrain.
Vinification: Spontaneous fermentation without sulfur, long maceration, refining for 3 years in large barrels, and then refining in the bottle for 2 years.
Alcohol content: 13.5%

local Nebbiolo biotype = Chiavennasca (pronounced “key-avennasca”)

VINIFICATION: Spontaneous fermentation without sulfur, long maceration, aging 18 months in large barrels and 12 months in bottle.
This red wine is a powerful expression, with a ton of finesse and sensitivity.

ALC: 15%

*Allocation solely

Made of Chiavennasca (local Nebbiolo) with a  part of other vines as Róssola, Rossolino Rosa, Brugnòla, Chiavennaschino, Pignòla and Negrera. The average age of the vines is 40 years. This delicious rose is a blend of grapes from various historical vineyards situated between 600 and 750 meters a.s.l., south exposure. Exceptionally delicate pressing, one night with skin contact, indigenous yeast.

Aging is in concrete tanks. Barbacan made this Rosato out of a love for their land and the passion to rescue old vines of ancient local varieties that were erroneously forsaken and which threatened being forgotten. The elegance of Nebbiolo mixed with the authenticity of the additional fruit forms a flawless marriage that communicates the terroir.

*Allocation solely

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