Ca´del Baios Barbera d´Alba Paolina is named after the daughter Paola (Paolina means “little Paola”), who was trained as an oenologist (cellar master) at the wine university in Alba, and today participates in the vinification together with the father. Barbera is sourced from the house’s vineyards in Treiso, where the vines were planted in 1960. The south-east-facing fields get perfect exposure to the sun and the grapes are usually picked from mid-September to the first week of October. After a slow and cool fermentation in steel tanks, the wine is allowed to mature for 8 months in large wooden barrels of Slovenian oak.
Barbera Paolina is very concentrated and generally benefits from a little oxygenation in the carafe before serving. In the fragrance you find notes of dark berries, spices, cardamom and gingerbread. The taste develops nicely in the glass with notes of plums, dark cherries and fresh almonds. It will go well with dishes with pork, veal or lamb, as well as poultry and not too strong cheeses. Due to its lovely spice, it is also perfect for game. Served in large glasses.
Ca’ del Baio has been owned and run by the Grasso family for 4 generations and since 1880. Today, the family has a distinguished portfolio of fields near the village of Treiso (7 km. from Alba) and in Barbaresco itself – a total of 28 ha. They thus have plots in some of the best fields in the area, including in “Asili”, “Valgrande”, “Marcarini” and “Pora”. Ca’ del Baio has (naturally) primarily planted the fields with Nebbiolo, but they also grow Barbera, Dolcetto, Moscato, Chardonnay and… Riesling!
For the Grasso family, respect for nature has always been a matter of course rather than a formulated philosophy, and for many years no artificial fertilizers or pesticides have been used in the fields. But in 2017, the respect gained substance in a more formulated philosophy, when they joined a new local project in Piedmont, which aims to promote a more sustainable and environmentally friendly wine production. The project is called “The Green Experience” and is an aid and control body where you undertake to respect and comply with a set of rules on 10 points. In addition to promoting a more sustainable and environmentally friendly wine production (including without chemicals), the set of regulations also aims to promote biodiversity, flora protection and the spread of beneficial insects and birds, for example.
