Fabio Gea La Msoira e'l Rastel Green Palma Barbera d'Alba 2022

Grape: Barbera
Vintage: 2022
Type: Red

Sourced from an east-facing parcel of old vines ranging from 15 to 90 years of age around the hills of Neive, this bottling presents Fabio Gea's unique interpretation of a classic Piedmontese grape. While Gea is widely celebrated for his avant-garde, boundary-pushing winemaking, his Green Palma serves as a beautifully pure and slightly more accessible showcase of classic Langhe fruit structure. The grapes are completely destemmed and undergo a three-week native maceration. In the cellar, Gea utilizes a hybrid aging regime, combining small neutral wooden barrels with his custom-engineered stoneware jars. This approach allows the wine to soften naturally without being dominated by oak flavors. Bottled with minimal sulfur, unfined, and unfiltered, it clocks in at 15% alcohol but retains a masterfully balanced freshness.

In the glass, it pours a dark, vibrant ruby-purple color with bright magenta glints. The aromatics are remarkably expressive and clean, bursting with notes of tart cranberry, black raspberry, fresh potting soil, and a lovely kick of exotic baking spices. On the palate, a "crystalline" core of electric, high-toned acidity—the true signature of the Barbera grape—slices directly through the wine's rich, concentrated body, making the alcohol feel completely weightless. The fine, rounded tannins provide a supple, structural frame that shapes the mouthfeel without adding heavy astringency. It glides into a balanced, mouthwatering finish that leaves a persistent trace of dark stones, floral cherry skin, and a lingering touch of savory spice.