Bersano Mantico Barbaresco – The Beauty of Balance

100% Nebbiolo from Piedmont, Italy.

SRP of $45 and purchased for $19.99. Imported by Vin Divino. 2,917 cases produced.

From the winery:

“It is rich and harmonious, considered one of the princes of Italian wines.

Refinement: 1 year in Slavonian oak barrels and 1 year in the bottle.

Bouquet: Characterised by notes of morello cherry, it opens out into a crescendo of ribes, cocoa and violet, accompanied by goudron.

Flavour: In the mouth it confirms a great structure with a full and intense aftertaste, elegant tannins and a warm alcoholic note.

Ageing: Extraordinary, it can reach even up to 10 years.

14% Alcohol”

If you’ve spent much time reading the The Reverse Wine Snob you’ve probably taken a look at our unique rating system, which factors in the cost of the wine. Basically, the more expensive a wine (or the more you pay for it) the better it has to be to get a recommended rating. Seems like common sense, right? Unfortunately it’s not the case with most wine ratings.

And while we focus a lot on wines that can be easily found for under $20, there are also those wines that normally cost much more that you are able to find a screaming deal on. Today’s wine, as well as our recent reviews of bottles from NakedWines.com (see all our recommendations from NakedWines here) and the Sponsored Reviews we’ve been featuring (where we partner with a retailer to offer a special deal to our readers) are all examples. Identifying tasty wine is one thing, but then also finding the best deal to buy it completes the equation and it’s what we are striving to do.

The 2008 Bersano Mantico Barbaresco begins with a lovely perfumed aroma of black and red cherry, licorice and dried herbal notes. This is not a big wine in any sense of the term but it’s well balanced and very drinkable with a wonderful subtle complexity that you can’t help but love even at only a penny under our limit. The best part is the very long, dry finish which begins with a burst of spice and continues with savory herbal notes that linger almost indefinitely. If you’re a fan of balance in your wine then this is definitely one you’ll appreciate.

See a listing of local retailers selling this wine here.

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