MCF Rare Wine

Glicine's 2016 - A Sleeper Swan Song

 

The first vintage of Cantina del Glicine’s Barbaresco ‘Vignesparse’ that I offered here at MCF was the stern, mineral 2013.  

 

It was met with great enthusiasm.  

 

Today, I’d like to offer the bright, floral, elegant-yet-rustic 2016 Barbaresco Vignesparse...

 

...a gorgeous wine that may be the last vintage that I ever will offer.  

 

‘Vignesparse’, meaning scattered vines, is a reference to the fact that this wonderful example of old-school Barbaresco is made from three different crus in the zone - Gallina, Serraboella and Serracapelli.  

 

Gallina, one of the appellation's finest crus, and certainly one of its most famous, needs little introduction.  It’s known for its ability to yield wines of finesse, clarity and sublime elegance...

 

...aka - a purist’s expression of Barbaresco.  

 

Serraboella, another famous and revered site, is known for its ability to lend firm structure and robust tannin.  

 

Serracapelli, on the other hand, is not on the radar of most, but, when, on one side, you’re dealing with finesse and clarity, on the other, sternness and grip, there’s one huge element missing - fruit.  

 

The supple, generous red fruit of Serracapelli sings a gorgeous counterpoint to Gallina and Serraboella, making for a wonderfully balanced, beautifully focused and surprisingly approachable example of classic Barbaresco.  

 

In a vintage like 2016, celebrated for its balance and focus, a wine like this excels, to say the least.  

 

Oh, yeah...and, at just $38/btl, it does so for a heck of a fair price.  

 

The Vignesparse was a wine that’d been steadily climbing up the ranks of my ‘Piemonte Sleeper’ category and, this lovely 2016 certainly has raised its profile even more in my mind.  

 

Sadly, though, there’s one big ‘but’ - this is the final vintage that winemaker Roberto Bruno, having passed away in 2017, was able to craft from start to finish.  

 

The future is up in the air right now, but it seems like there is a good chance that Adriana Marzi, Roberto's wife and partner in Glicine, will sell the estate. 

 

There's something so fitting, though, in knowing that his final wine was from such a monumental vintage...one that's so uniquely suited to highlighting his style...and one that's also built to last a nice long while, keeping his memory alive. 

 

While I'm guessing that this is probably the final great vintage of this lovely, rustic Barbaresco value that I'll sell, I'm saying that it's definitely the best vintage of it I've ever tasted. 

 

So...you have that going for you...

 

You may order by emailing info@mcf-rarewine.com or calling 212.255.8870.

 

Matt Franco

MCF Rare Wine, Ltd

249 West 13th Street NYC 10011

212.255.8870