2014 Azienda Vitivinicola Rizzi Barbaresco 750 ml

The Burgundy of Italy

Bentornato to a stellar cru Barbaresco! We would consider the return of Barbaresco producer Azienda Vitivinicola Rizzi a glorious comeback, but they never really went anywhere—their wines just took an American hiatus after their old importer dropped the ball. Luckily, an importer whom we count among our friends scooped it up and ran it straight to us, which is why we are among the first to the U.S. market with the 93-point, Wine Enthusiast Editors’ Choice 2014 Rizzi Barbaresco. Rizzi is not just the producer, but the name of the individual cru from which this wine is harvested: a steep south- and southeast-facing slope in the village of Treiso that produces gorgeous, bright, and lively Nebbiolo. Floral, spiced, and beautifully structured, this is one example for why Piedmont is considered the Burgundy of Italy. Just 36 cases.

In most ways, Enrico Dellapiana is unique: He was a professional basketball player before becoming winemaker and viticulturalist at Azienda Vitivinicola Rizzi, the winery his father Ernesto founded in 1974. He also happens to be a prolific artist who is known to hand-paint many of his own labels—on the individual bottles.

But Enrico fits in with Piedmont’s younger generation of winemakers in one way: He is making a concerted push to identify and highlight the individual terroirs on his family’s property. He has even enlisted, for the first time in the winery’s history, a geologist to terrain-map their 50 acres of Nebbiolo vines. This mission reflects the larger Piedmontese embrace of its status as the Burgundy of Italy: a place of small-parcel wineries where family, tradition, and terroir rule.

Rizzi is one of the Rizzi winery’s four unique crus. It sits on one of the most famous hills in Treiso, with the snow-capped, serrated Alps providing a dramatic backdrop. The Nebbiolo is grown on the south- and southeast-facing slopes in soils of white marl, clay, and sand, before being hand-harvested and aged for 12-15 months in 5,000-liter botti. After a stint in concrete and in bottle, the Rizzi is released three years after harvest. Excellent with a long decant and perfect for the cellar, this is an exemplary cru Barbaresco—one that Wine Access clients will be glad is back in the States.