Serafino Rivella is about as old school as it gets in Barbaresco. The range consists of just two wines, both from the famed Montestefano cru where the Rivellas live and work. There is a Barbaresco and a young vines Nebbiolo. That's it. The Barbaresco sees about 30 days on the skins. Time in cask is about 32 months, quite long by today's standards. The Rivellas favor longer time in wood than is often the norm these days. That, along with very minimal intervention in the cellar, yields distinctive Barbarescos that favor aromatic complexity and nuance over fruit, with a gently oxidative quality that can be quite pleasant, especially in the better years.
The 2020 Barbaresco Montestefano is gorgeous. Sweet scents of pipe tobacco, spice, dried herbs, mint, leather and crushed autumn leaves all grace this exquisite, super-classic Barbaresco. It offers a beguiling mix of the slightly oxidative character that is typical here with bright Nebbiolo acids that add a counterpoint. With aeration, the 2020 can be enjoyed now.