We have long written that Claudio Bisi is a reserved man who doesn't mince words. However, when faced with a true oenophile, his eyes will begin to shine. As the conversation progresses, his passion and pride emerge, accompanied by a rare, self-critical intellectual honesty and his visceral love for barbera, which he considers the prince of grape varieties. With painstaking care and a deep respect for the land, he cultivates it alongside croatina, pinot nero, riesling and malvasia, in his vineyards favorably positioned on the hills of San Damiano. Of late, bottle-refermented wines have come back into fashion, but Claudio has been proposing the Ultrapadum for over fifteen years. A blend of equal parts barbera and croatina fermented without added yeasts, the 2020 is one of the best ever: plump berry berries, a nice balance of tannins, alcohol, and acidity, making for a clean and gratifying drink.
