For the Wines
I consider myself lucky to be making wines in the Langhe and even luckier that I have no legacy to follow. It's led to a freedom to play and deconstruct tradition, all in an attempt to start afresh without any boundaries. I'm on a constant search for great vineyards, and always trying to make wines that give a sense of passion and place. Not all of them are single vineyards, because I think great things can come from careful crafting. Not all the wines will be produced each year either, as nature dictates most of what I do.
I use everything I've learnt from my experiences of making wine and working in the vineyards around the world, pulling out the methodology that I believe in and then injecting a few twists and turns.......Hopefully it all works for you!
For those that need to know.....
I use 100% spontaneous fermentation but with a 'pied de cuve' method. I use old wood in the form of Barriques and Botte Grande. Sometimes I have to buy new wood to get old wood and this gets used on the X-blend and the Chardonnay. I never, ever, filter the wines or use fining agents!
In the Vineyards
50% of the vineyards I work with are certified organic and the other half is under conversion. As a day job I work for one of the biggest Biodynamic producers in Barolo and Barbaresco. I believe 100% in these techniques for my own grape production and strive for better health and lower impact for the vines and their surroundings. Not wanting to contribute to an ever increasing mono-culture in the Langhe, I offset the land used for my grape production with ownership of the equivalent area in Forest, swamp and grasslands rich in biodiversity.
2020 Langhe DOC Nebbiolo
Comunes: Barbaresco, Scaparoni, Montà
Variety: 100% Nebbiolo
Area: 0.30 ha
First year of production: 2016
Annual production: 4,000 bottles
In 2020 we added our very own vineyard of young Nebbiolo to this wine which came from within the Barbaresco confines. The Italian wine regulations state that any Nebbiolo from the zones of both Barolo and Barbaresco that don’t carry the namesake, be classified as Langhe not Alba. It forced us to change the name to Langhe Nebbiolo but the wine is much better for the addition of the new grapes. The wine now has a little more structure to it and a freshness that would normally evolve earlier in the only Roero wines.
Winemaking
The Roero component is harvested always a week after the Barolo and Barbaresco but the new vineyard is around the beginning of the Nebbiolo harvest because of its youth. As with all my wines, the wine is made with gentle extraction and focus on the aromatics in preference to colour and tannin. Open fermented with wild yeast, and aged for 12 months in 10 year old barriques. I consider Langhe Nebbiolo as a good indication of what Barolo and Barbaresco will be like from the vintage and with this wine there is always intense fruit as a result of being released earlier than its well known counterparts.
Winefront Review by Mike Bennie
Posted on 2 July 2022
"This is a blend of Barbaresco, Scaparoni and Monta in Roero. The Barbaresco portion is younger vines from across the road at Dave Fletcher’s property in Barbaresco, planted by him and his team. That Barbaresco train station/winery is really something.
A firm and fine boned nebbiolo, refreshing too, bright red cherry fruit, strong cranberry tang, rose hip tea, game meat, a little raspberry and red currant. It’s red, alright. Tannins swish in a web of feathery pucker and talc-like grip, the coolness in the wine akin to orange juice, with clove, cinnamon and fennel amongst it all. It’s a real pleasure to drink, modern and lively in style, vibrant and straight up banging delicious. Super expression; really worthy drinking."
93 Points
2019 ‘Recta Pete’
Denomination: BARBARESCO D.O.C.G.
Comunes: Neive & Barbaresco
Variety: 100% Nebbiolo
Area: 0.35 ha
First year of production: 2009
Annual production: 2,500 bottles
This wine is a take on the tradition of blending vineyards that the region was once famous for and continues to be so with the wines like Monfortino and B.Mascarello. It is a wine built to express the best of the region, in the sense that sourcing fruit from several vineyards allows for the art of blending to come into action. Should one vineyard not perform to its best in a particular vintage, it will not be included in the blend. Each vineyard adds to the different layers of the wine and enhances its complexity.
Winemaking
This wine is open fermented using natural yeasts. It is macerated for 2 weeks post sugar dryness and then put into 300L 10 year old French oak barriques. It is aged in oak for a period of 2 years before bottling without fining or filtration and with low sulphur addition.
Jancis Robinson
Posted on 1 July 2022
"Grapes come predominantly from Roncaglie, with further grapes coming from Starderi and Ronchi. Spontaneous fermentation in open fermenters and with a total of four to six weeks on the skins depending on the cru. Aged for two years in old barriques.
Just mid ruby. Still tightly knit on the nose and with lifted perfumed and peppery notes. Focused and fresh red-fruit palate that is completely dry, while the crunchy tannins take their time to emerge and grip the fresh red fruit on the finish. Just a hint of oatmeal. Ends a little vibrant. (WS)"
14%
17 ++
2019 Starderi Cru
Denomination: BARBARESCO D.O.C.G.
Comunes: Neive
Variety: 100% Nebbiolo
Area: 0.40 ha
First year of production: 2016
Annual production: Very Limited
After 10 years of working in the Barbaresco region, this wine is a culmination of all the searching and learning that has been done through the years. Finally we can present a single cru wine of the up most quality. While it represents a single cru ‘Starderi’, the wine itself come from 3 vineyards within the cru, all from slightly different aspects and soil types that help push this wine into a complex network of flavours, layers and tannins.
Winemaking
The grapes that go into this wine are generally picked two weeks before most producers begin to consider the harvest. The wine is open fermented using natural yeasts and hand plunged once every two days. It stays on skins until sugar dryness is reached before being pressed into 300 liter 10 year old French oak barriques. It is aged in oak for a period of 2 years before bottling without fining or filtration.
Jancis Robinson
Posted on 1 July 2022
"Neive. Just mid ruby. Floral, lifted raspberry. Really fine and elegant. Nervy, fresh and elegant fruit palate with sandpapery long tannins. Light on its feet yet long. Ends a little vibrant. (WS)"
14%
17.5
2019 Faset Cru
Denomination: BARBARESCO D.O.C.G.
Comunes: Barbaresco
Variety: 100% Nebbiolo
Area: 0.20 ha
First year of production: 2019
Annual production: Very Limited
2019 marking the first year of working with this vineyard and it’s definitively a Grand cru of Barbaresco due to its haunting complexity on the nose and palate. It has an unparalleled richness which is a representation of its bond to the soils shared by Asili, Rabaja and Rio Sordo. While this wine has its origins in Barbaresco, it’s the closest wine to a Barolo in character, which explains the fame of this particular sub area. Unlike our extremes from the Starderi Cru and Roncaglie, this wine sits in the middle of the two, combining elegance and power to make our most traditional in style Barbaresco single vineyard wine.
Winemaking
The grapes that go into this wine are generally picked between Starderi and Roncaglie. The wine is open fermented using natural yeasts and hand plunged once every two days. It stays on skins until sugar dryness is reached before being pressed into 300 liter 10 year old French oak barriques. It is aged in oak for a period of 2 years without movement, before bottling without fining or filtration.
Jancis Robinson
Posted on 1 July 2022
"Barbaresco. 'Faset has the same soil composition as Asili, but is less famous because it lacks well-known producers. I knew it had potential and Ceretto used to make it, so I was able to taste older bottles which clearly showed it has pedigree".
A shade deeper than Starderi and a little richer on the nose with a clear, minerally note over strawberry fruit. Still a little closed on the palate but the fruit is concentrated and it has a super-elegant palate weight. Nervy long acidity and beautiful chewy tannins that last and last. (WS)
14%
17.5
2019 Roncaglie Cru
Denomination: BARBARESCO D.O.C.G.
Comunes: Barbaresco
Variety: 100% Nebbiolo
Area: 0.30 ha
First year of production: 2019
Annual production: Very Limited
Most will know that for the last 7 years of production, there has always been a good amount of Nebbiolo from the Roncaglie cru going into our ‘Recta Pete’ Barbaresco. In 2019 we were given permission to use the Cru name and now we have Roncaglie as part of our special single vineyard wines. Roncaglie is historically considered a Grand Cru of Barbaresco and the wine definitely represents one of the best in our portfolio. Stylistically showing elegance on both the nose and palate but very structured tannins for long aging.
Winemaking
The grapes that go into this wine are always the last of Barbaresco harvest. It’s a zone of Barbaresco that doesn’t suffer the heat as much and loves a traditional long hang time on the vine to build the structure. The wine is open fermented using natural yeasts and hand plunged once every two days. It stays on skins until sugar dryness is reached before being pressed into 300 liter 10 year old French oak barriques. It is aged in oak for a period of 2 years before bottling without fining or filtration.
Jancis Robinson
Posted on 1 July 2022
"Barbaresco. Lustrous and just mid ruby. Serious, complex nose charged with saline minerally notes but still a little embryonic. The most mineral of Fletcher's three Barbarescos. Impressive depth yet poised. Fantastic balance between raspberry fruit that is still a little shy, long chewy tannins and energetic acidity. (WS)"
13.5%
17.5
(Image: Fletcher Wines)