Musso Pora Barbaresco (1.5 Liter Magnum) 2016
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An important wine wanted to be accompanied by important dishes. For this, Barbaresco “Pora” is a classic wine red meat. Traditionally it was approached with a preference for game meat, today it’s complexity and fullness do well with all red meat cooked in various ways, from roasts, stews and braised local cuisine as well as international dishes. With the passage of time and the maturation of the wine, Barbaresco does not always need a gastronomic pairing, but can be enjoyed by itself that articulates thoughts and emotions. A wine of meditation.
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Wine Enthusiast
This has a lovely, alluring nose that evokes rose, iris, woodland berry, new leather and cake spice along with a whiff of camphor. It's focused and delicious, with juicy Marasca cherry, star anise, clove and mocha flavors framed in taut, fine-grained tannins and bright acidity. Drink 2026–2036.
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Decanter
Valter Musso and his son Emanuele run this traditional 10ha property. They produce two single-vineyard wines: Rio Sordo and Pora. In 2015, Rio Sordo was the more impressive but in 2016 Pora seems the finer, although both are of high quality. The raspberry-scented nose is still reserved, but the palate is more lavish, with a velvety texture balanced by firm acidity as well as tannins. There's spice and lift on the long finish.
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The Musso winery was founded in 1929 and coincides with one of the most critical moments of the Italian economy and the world, the year of the “Great Depression”, that brought down myths and structures that seemed invincible. In those years it was difficult just to manage everyday life and to pool resources for survival.
Yet, Sebastiano Musso, born in 1906, did not lose heart. Even with being left alone at a young age from the untimely death of his father, he found the strength to fight back and establish a small winery in Barbaresco .
He didn’t have a lot of ground, only “3 giornata piemontese” (a little more than one hectare, 2.62 giornata equal 1 hectare) one in the locality of Cavanna and one on the hillside of Ronchi . It was small, but enough to start . While he continued the work of the family, cultivating the vineyards, he started producing his own wine.
The following years were very difficult, those of World War II and after the war. Yet he managed to survive making wine and selling it, overcoming the difficulties and distances. Year after year , the markets were enlarged. In the early sixties he understood that it would take more grapes and help in the vineyards and winery to cultivate and produce. The light of progress began to show it’s reflections in the distance.
Today, the stars are still the men and their generations . They do not contradict each other, but are in total synergy, highlighting the best capabilities of each.
But he is not alone, there is also the next generation, his son Emanuele, who supports him with marketing the wine and his grandson, Luca Accornero, who takes care of the work in the vineyards.
Responsible for some of the most elegant and age-worthy wines in the world, Nebbiolo, named for the ubiquitous autumnal fog (called nebbia in Italian), is the star variety of northern Italy’s Piedmont region. Grown throughout the area, as well as in the neighboring Valle d’Aosta and Valtellina, it reaches its highest potential in the Piedmontese villages of Barolo, Barbaresco and Roero. Outside of Italy, growers are still very much in the experimentation stage but some success has been achieved in parts of California. Somm Secret—If you’re new to Nebbiolo, start with a charming, wallet-friendly, early-drinking Langhe Nebbiolo or Nebbiolo d'Alba.
A wine that most perfectly conveys the spirit and essence of its place, Barbaresco is true reflection of terroir. Its star grape, like that in the neighboring Barolo region, is Nebbiolo. Four townships within the Barbaresco zone can produce Barbaresco: the actual village of Barbaresco, as well as Neive, Treiso and San Rocco Seno d'Elvio.
Broadly speaking there are more similarities in the soils of Barbaresco and Barolo than there are differences. Barbaresco’s soils are approximately of the same two major soil types as Barolo: blue-grey marl of the Tortonion epoch, producing more fragile and aromatic characteristics, and Helvetian white yellow marl, which produces wines with more structure and tannins.
Nebbiolo ripens earlier in Barbaresco than in Barolo, primarily due to the vineyards’ proximity to the Tanaro River and lower elevations. While the wines here are still powerful, Barbaresco expresses a more feminine side of Nebbiolo, often with softer tannins, delicate fruit and an elegant perfume. Typical in a well-made Barbaresco are expressions of rose petal, cherry, strawberry, violets, smoke and spice. These wines need a few years before they reach their peak, the best of which need over a decade or longer. Bottle aging adds more savory characteristics, such as earth, iron and dried fruit.