La Court, a more polished and “important” wine, makes a fascinating comparison with Chiarlo’s other Barbera d’Asti, Le Orme. The grapes come from the same vineyard, according to Alberto Chiarlo, but the ones destined for La Court are harvested later and then treated differently in the winery with fermentation occurring like Barolo, in open vats. Half the wine spends time in oak barrels while the other half ages in large old barrels before Chiarlo blends the two components. In place of Le Orme’s charming rusticity, La Court delivers a riper and more suave impression. These two wines represent the opposite ends of the Barbera spectrum. Both are easy to recommend. While La Court might be more appropriate for prime rib and Le Orme for skirt steak, frankly I’d be happy to have either on my table this fall with either cut of beef.
Michele Chiarlo, Barbera d’Asti Superiore (Piedmont, Italy) 2011
By Michael Apstein