Cavallotto’s Vigna del Cuculo is a major league Barbera from a parcel of 50-plus-year-old vines on the western side of Bricco Boschis. This parcel is named after the cuckoo bird (cuculo)—we’re not sure why and neither is Alfio Cavallotto!

The unique power and ridiculous quality of this wine can be attributed to the mature vines, low yields, and powerful terroir of the Bricco Boschis. The western aspect and the preponderance of limestone in the soil here temper Barbera’s natural acidity, and Alfio Cavallotto explains that this ‘Barolo’ terroir contributes to an aromatic range in Barbera that is closer to Nebbiolo.

The winemaking is also distinctive, with up to 18 days on skins (a long time for Barbera) and then aging for 24 months in the same, mature Slavonian casks as the Nebbiolo wines.