Fabio Gea Back Grin 2022 750ml

Fabio Gea is making delicious wines from small parcels in Barbaresco. The land comes from his maternal grandfather Pòtu, (diminutive for Giuseppe in dialect) and is centered around different parts of Barbaresco mostly near the Bricco. During his grandfather's time, the vines were still in polyculture, although he was apparently an expert who at one time had over 200 grape varieties on his land. But the winemaking and vineyard care skipped a generation and most of the plots became semi-abandoned. Fabio, after receiving his doctorate and working as a successful geologist for corporate companies for a number of years, decided to leave that world and reprise the family winemaking tradition. He also started bringing the vineyards back into shape.

Fabio makes this wine with grapes purchased from a friend. The name of this wine is literal and in English: "Back Grin". The estate's sickle and rake logo (which Fabio has said is intentionally made to resemble a human backside) have a hand drawn smile on every bottle. The idea, we believe, is to show you can be playful and creative in a traditional area. The "grin" is also a reference to the Grignolino grape.

The wine is bottled in old Travaglini Gattinara bottles Fabio found in an old warehouse.

The number of the bottle and the total number of bottles are hand written on labels made from handmade paper.

The grapes are destemmed and macerated for two to three weeks. Fermentation and aging takes place in homemade porcelain and stoneware vessels.

-Louis/Dressner Selections