Renato Ratti Barbera d’Alba DOC Battaglione

Description

Renato Ratti Barbera d’Alba DOC Battaglione is made from grapes grown in vineyards in Alba in Piedmont. Compared to Barbera d’Asti, the wines of Barbera d’Alba tend to be darker in colour and more intense and powerful.

Renato Ratti, the founder of this excellent Piedemontese winery, bought his first vineyard, a small plot in Barolo in the historical zone of Marcenasco, in 1965. He was the first producer to make a single vintage Barolo, previous to this Barolo would have been blended from various vineyard sites. He was joined by his nephew, oenologist Massimo Martinelli, in 1965 and he company expanded buying many more vineyards in the Piedmont region. Pietro, Renato’s son, took over the company on 1988. Pietro is a graduate of Alba’s renowned Oenological School and continues to expand and restore the family vineyards as well as building new cellars in Annunziata in 2002. Today the vineyards are located on the hillsides of the Langhe, Roero and Monferrat regions.

Renato Ratti Barbera d’Asti DOC Battaglione is made from 100% Barbera grapes. These grapes are destemmed and crushed and fermented with an average maceration time of 7 days. The wine undergoes malolactic fermentation in stainless steel in November and is then aged for approximately 1 year in oak barrels.

The label features a soldier in what I am guessing is an old Italian army uniform and the name Battaglione translates as Battalion. I am not 100% sure of the military connection!