Fly Fishing

 

Nothing much to do with wine, but Fly Fishing is a grapecircus passion. #justsaying

 

The Catch
The Flies
The Patience

Barbacàn

Barbacàn, run by Luca and Matteo Sega with their father, Angelo, are one of the only Valtellina estates dedicated to traditional and artisan methods. Manual harvesting is essential and extremely laborious, as workers trek up and down steep steps built into the mountainside. It’s a land of extremes, but there are a few ‘heroes’ left, and Barbacàn can certainly claim this title.

The Wines

Rosso di Valtellina

Valtellina Superiore 'Sol'

Valtellina Superiore 'Jazpémi'

Lombardy
Rosso di Valtellina

Rosso di Valtellina

Chiavennasca from vineyards at 400 - 750m above sea level. Classic alpine nebbiolo, showing small red-berried fruit and delicate spice notes, with well-balanced firm tannins.

quick facts

APPELLATION: Rosso di Valtellina DOC
VINTAGE: 2020
STYLE: red
GRAPE: chiavennasca (nebbiolo)
FARMING: organic
FERMENTATION: stainless steel, concrete
MATURATION: stainless steel
FILTRATION: unfiltered
VEGAN: yes
ALCOHOL: 12.5%
CASE SIZE: 6

Valtellina Sol

Valtellina Superiore 'Sol'

The top cru from Barbacàn, the Söl vineyard has vines dating from the 1920s. From high-altitude, south-facing slopes, giving the fruit a richness and fleshiness that is unique and utterly captivating.

quick facts

APPELLATION: Valtellina Superiore DOCG
VINTAGE: 2019
STYLE: red
GRAPE: chiavennasca (nebbiolo)
FARMING: organic
FERMENTATION: stainless steel, concrete
MATURATION: oak
FILTRATION: unfiltered
VEGAN: yes
ALCOHOL: 13.5%
CASE SIZE:

Jazpemi-W-20210327172517632

Veltelina Superiore Valgella 'Jazpémi'

The Jazpémi is a Valtellina Superiore that comes from the vineyards in the Valgella area that have that name. It is the first Barbacan “CRU”.

It is a well-balanced wine both on the nose and on the palate and perfectly typical of the vintage from which it comes.

quick facts

APPELLATION: Valtellina Superiore DOC
VINTAGE: 2019
STYLE: red
GRAPE: chiavennasca (nebbiolo)
FARMING: organic
FERMENTATION: stainless steel, concrete
MATURATION: stainless steel
FILTRATION: unfiltered
VEGAN: yes
ALCOHOL: 12.5%
CASE SIZE: 6

Barbacàn

Valtellina is a tiny area, occupying a narrow east-west valley north-east of Milan, just south of the Swiss border. The only areas where grapes can ripen successfully are on the south- and south-west-facing slopes, where they get high levels of sunshine, and the Alpine ranges to the north and south of the valley offer protection from cold winds. In fact, the mountains are so good at sheltering the valley that the summers often see temperatures comparable to Sicily, and it’s not unusual to see palm trees and cacti. Valtellina’s granitic soils and extreme temperature swings make chiavennasca (aka nebbiolo) grown here a very different proposition to Barolo or Barbaresco. Lighter in body certainly, but with less aggressive tannin and a beguiling, velvety quality to the fruit.

Barbacàn is Matteo and Luca Sega, who, along with their father Angelo, are the latest generation of their family to tend this land in Valgella, Valtellina’s easternmost subzone. Their parcels total 6 hectares, including the single vineyards Sol and Pizamej. Barbacàn are one of the only Valtellina estates dedicated to traditional and artisan methods. Everything, from the vineyard to the cellar, is done by hand. Given the vertiginous slopes of the vineyards, there isn’t much choice. The vines occupy extremely steep terraces buttressed by dry stone walls, some centuries old. Manual harvesting is essential and extremely laborious, as workers trek up and down steep steps built into the mountainside. It’s a land of extremes, and no wonder that so many vineyards have been dug up in favour of orchards or other easier crops. There are a few ‘heroes’ left though, and the Sega family can certainly claim this title.