2020 Wine of the Sea (Montaribaldi) BARBERA FRERE Piedmont D.O.C. Italy (6-bottle case)

Winery Notes

"Submerging wines underwater for several months gave way to experimentation that brought Marko to ”Wine of the Sea”. A form of ”ageing” wines under the sea proved to be something that changed the wines. Very soon did he and the winemakers whose wines he sunk realize that the structure of the wine had changed, bringing them a wine that differs greatly from the same one resting in the cellars on land."

"Wines selected for submersion are among the world’s finest even before entering the Adriatic, but not every fine wine is made to be submerged. Each wine selected fits a specific set of characteristics that make it a qualified candidate for this aging process.

Each bottle is equipped with a special composite cork and sealed with two layers of wax ensuring that the bottles allow nothing to enter them while submerged."

"The bottles are placed 100-feet below the water’s surface. The conditions at these depths make nature’s greatest wine cellar.

• Temperatures are consistently cool
• Zero light from the sun is able to reach the bottles
• Aging is intensified and accelerated under tremendous pressure
• Waves keep the bottles in motion, forcing molecular breakdown for a constant smoothing of the wine

"Each bottle spends a minimum of one year under water, depending on what variety of wine is submerged. Some bottles are left to age for as many as two years."

This Barbera from Frere vineyard in Alba is packed with flavors of black cherries, star anise, and pepper. An amazingly polished wine with an almost syrup-like texture, high tannins, and a long and precise aftertaste that is backed up by a firm structure enables it to be cellared for years, or drank now."

About the Winery:
"Founded in 1994 in the town of Barbaresco, the Montaribaldi Winery has had a clear focus on producing high-quality, single-vineyard wines that represent the terroir as much as possible. With a low-intervention winemaking approach and viticultural practices that keep eco-sustainability a priority, Montaribaldi works in harmony with nature and strives toward using energy from renewable resources."