Ugo Lequio
#GDPandThePig
Ugo Lequio has quietly been producing wines in Barbaresco, in Neive to be precise, since 1981. A small producer, he has remained well under the radar as he has worked hard to refine his style of winemaking, becoming, in large part due to his exceptional vineyards, one of the top producers in the region. I say this not based simply on his terrific Barbaresco, but also on his exemplary Barbera and an Arneis that sets a standard for what is possible for this fickle white grape!
2017 Ugo Lequio Arneis 14.5%
Fruit from the Roero: Guarene d’Alba
Quite floral, with lots of apricot fruit and an attractive mineral edge which adds complexity and freshness. Light on the palate when you consider the alcohol, its no obtrusive at all. theres a lot of delicacy here with some polyphonic bitterness that clips the finish before the minerality returns. It's very easy drinking, but at the same time it’s a deep, nuanced wine. Quite chalky as well. This avoids the trap that so many producers seem to fall into, trying to make the next Pinot Grigio. It's not marred by esteriness, yeastiness, and the overt fruitiness, not to mention residual sugar that makes so many Arneis sticky and spackley in the mouth. Very long and complex on day 2, with more depth on the palate, though a bit less weight and fruit.
All that minerality makes sense since this is grown in a very sand rich soil. This sets the stage for the wines to come, being a warm and generous vintage, yielding a wine with perhaps some added fruit but retaining the expression of terroir, detail, and nuance that we come to Piemonte for.
2015 Ugo Lequio Barbera D’Alba Superiore Vigna Gallina . 13.5%
A typical fermentation of 8 - 12 days, followed by 20 months in medium Slavonian botte of 25hl.
Lower alcohol like this is surprising, Barbera loves the heat, and many examples have pretty high alcohol in order to allow for the acidity to be well balanced. The exception, particularly in warm vintages like 2015, are wines that are produced from older vines. Coming from the Vigna Gallina vineyard that produces fabulous Barbaresco, this is a rarity. It's very uncommon to find Barbera planted in such a fine location these days.
Fruity and yet restrained on the nose, as Barbera tends to be. Its not a particularly fragrant wine, and while this offers up rather typical blackberry, plummy, leather, and almost violet toned floral notes theres something else here: a sick soil tone.
In the mouth it is precise and medium bodied, like Barbera should be, but it also has a sense of plushness and jammy tinged wild blackberry fruit wrapped around the spine of acidity that powers this through a very long, stony and slightly evergreen finish. Those herbal notes, sage and balsam, grows on the palate lending this additional freshness. It’s a strict Barbera, not blowsy at all, age worthy, taut and superbly defined in the mouth with fantastic length with acidity that is pronounced but not high. Young and vibrant, this of course will age quite well, becoming more like Nebbiolo with leather and forest floor character.
One day 2 this is just singing, becoming more perfumed on the nose, tangier and juicier in the mouth. The plumminess has faded and some of the weight on the backend has dissipated, leaving a beautifully elegant, sleek, and well balanced Barbera with a sapid raspberry finale. Really very fine and an indication that this will improve in the bottle so it's worth leaving a bottle in the cellar for a couple of years.
2017 Ugo Lequio Langhe Nebbiolo 13.5% Treiso
This undergoes a brief fermentation of less than a week then spends a 5 to 6 months in french oak tonneaux before being bottled
Showing wonderful freshness on the nose, very balsamic, a hint still of watermelon freshness followed by notes of rose and iris, gravel, tar, a hint of mushroom, and slightly baked cherry fruit.
Light fresh and elegant in the mouth with youthful, and slightly aggressive tannins lending a certain chewiness to the modest finish here. This is lovely, a bit tight still, but becoming fragrant in the mouth, and that is what I want from my Nebbiolo. I am not looking for a baby Barbaresco, I want something fresher, purely about the character of the grape, with an nod towards terroir of course, but free of significant winemaking impact. This is a BBQ wine for me, more lamb than beef, fatty and gamy favors that can absorb the structure here and highlight the intense cherry fruit, floral, and mineral flavors.
One day 2 this is more elegant, and shows notably better structural integration. It's smooth, remains generous but fresh, with better detail to the fruit and balsamic character. I can see this improving in the bottle, but would probably opt to drink it sooner rather than later since the freshness here is so appealing.
2013 Ugo Leuquio Barbaresco Gallina 14.5% Neive
From south facing vineyards planted in 1953, 1963, 1971 in the Gallina subzone of the Cascina Nuova vineyard in Neive. The same plot made famous by Giacosa.
This spent 16-18 days on the skins, then 20 months in 25hl Slavonian botti.
Reticent on day one, though with some swirling it does reveal complex, layered aromas of delicate flowers, old leather forest floor,sweet pipe tobacco, dried red currants, spiced cherry, and a hint of dried lemon peel.
Dedicate on entry, nuanced and elegant with no shortage of either tannin or acids. It’s cut from classic cloth, good length real lift on the backend with fine inner mouth perfumes. Juicy with flavors that lean slightly towards the tart red fruit and rhubarb end of the spectrum, laid over pithy citrus flavors. There’s a slight underway of wood induced spice notes, but they are subtle and more peppery than baking spices.
On day 2 this has improved somewhat but is also closing down so the benefits of being opened for a day are somewhat offset but the increasing tightness here. It's still delicious, and the texture is showing a move towards silkiness, but the aromatics haven't evolved as much as one might have hoped. Theres more sweet tobacco notes, and cherry fruit, but theres a little less detail here today. This definitely needs time, 3-5 years in the cellar, and being opened can't replace that sort of slow evolution. Obviously superb, classic Barbaresco nonetheless!
#GDPandThePig
Ugo Lequio has quietly been producing wines in Barbaresco, in Neive to be precise, since 1981. A small producer, he has remained well under the radar as he has worked hard to refine his style of winemaking, becoming, in large part due to his exceptional vineyards, one of the top producers in the region. I say this not based simply on his terrific Barbaresco, but also on his exemplary Barbera and an Arneis that sets a standard for what is possible for this fickle white grape!
2017 Ugo Lequio Arneis 14.5%
Fruit from the Roero: Guarene d’Alba
Quite floral, with lots of apricot fruit and an attractive mineral edge which adds complexity and freshness. Light on the palate when you consider the alcohol, its no obtrusive at all. theres a lot of delicacy here with some polyphonic bitterness that clips the finish before the minerality returns. It's very easy drinking, but at the same time it’s a deep, nuanced wine. Quite chalky as well. This avoids the trap that so many producers seem to fall into, trying to make the next Pinot Grigio. It's not marred by esteriness, yeastiness, and the overt fruitiness, not to mention residual sugar that makes so many Arneis sticky and spackley in the mouth. Very long and complex on day 2, with more depth on the palate, though a bit less weight and fruit.
All that minerality makes sense since this is grown in a very sand rich soil. This sets the stage for the wines to come, being a warm and generous vintage, yielding a wine with perhaps some added fruit but retaining the expression of terroir, detail, and nuance that we come to Piemonte for.
2015 Ugo Lequio Barbera D’Alba Superiore Vigna Gallina . 13.5%
A typical fermentation of 8 - 12 days, followed by 20 months in medium Slavonian botte of 25hl.
Lower alcohol like this is surprising, Barbera loves the heat, and many examples have pretty high alcohol in order to allow for the acidity to be well balanced. The exception, particularly in warm vintages like 2015, are wines that are produced from older vines. Coming from the Vigna Gallina vineyard that produces fabulous Barbaresco, this is a rarity. It's very uncommon to find Barbera planted in such a fine location these days.
Fruity and yet restrained on the nose, as Barbera tends to be. Its not a particularly fragrant wine, and while this offers up rather typical blackberry, plummy, leather, and almost violet toned floral notes theres something else here: a sick soil tone.
In the mouth it is precise and medium bodied, like Barbera should be, but it also has a sense of plushness and jammy tinged wild blackberry fruit wrapped around the spine of acidity that powers this through a very long, stony and slightly evergreen finish. Those herbal notes, sage and balsam, grows on the palate lending this additional freshness. It’s a strict Barbera, not blowsy at all, age worthy, taut and superbly defined in the mouth with fantastic length with acidity that is pronounced but not high. Young and vibrant, this of course will age quite well, becoming more like Nebbiolo with leather and forest floor character.
One day 2 this is just singing, becoming more perfumed on the nose, tangier and juicier in the mouth. The plumminess has faded and some of the weight on the backend has dissipated, leaving a beautifully elegant, sleek, and well balanced Barbera with a sapid raspberry finale. Really very fine and an indication that this will improve in the bottle so it's worth leaving a bottle in the cellar for a couple of years.
2017 Ugo Lequio Langhe Nebbiolo 13.5% Treiso
This undergoes a brief fermentation of less than a week then spends a 5 to 6 months in french oak tonneaux before being bottled
Showing wonderful freshness on the nose, very balsamic, a hint still of watermelon freshness followed by notes of rose and iris, gravel, tar, a hint of mushroom, and slightly baked cherry fruit.
Light fresh and elegant in the mouth with youthful, and slightly aggressive tannins lending a certain chewiness to the modest finish here. This is lovely, a bit tight still, but becoming fragrant in the mouth, and that is what I want from my Nebbiolo. I am not looking for a baby Barbaresco, I want something fresher, purely about the character of the grape, with an nod towards terroir of course, but free of significant winemaking impact. This is a BBQ wine for me, more lamb than beef, fatty and gamy favors that can absorb the structure here and highlight the intense cherry fruit, floral, and mineral flavors.
One day 2 this is more elegant, and shows notably better structural integration. It's smooth, remains generous but fresh, with better detail to the fruit and balsamic character. I can see this improving in the bottle, but would probably opt to drink it sooner rather than later since the freshness here is so appealing.
2013 Ugo Leuquio Barbaresco Gallina 14.5% Neive
From south facing vineyards planted in 1953, 1963, 1971 in the Gallina subzone of the Cascina Nuova vineyard in Neive. The same plot made famous by Giacosa.
This spent 16-18 days on the skins, then 20 months in 25hl Slavonian botti.
Reticent on day one, though with some swirling it does reveal complex, layered aromas of delicate flowers, old leather forest floor,sweet pipe tobacco, dried red currants, spiced cherry, and a hint of dried lemon peel.
Dedicate on entry, nuanced and elegant with no shortage of either tannin or acids. It’s cut from classic cloth, good length real lift on the backend with fine inner mouth perfumes. Juicy with flavors that lean slightly towards the tart red fruit and rhubarb end of the spectrum, laid over pithy citrus flavors. There’s a slight underway of wood induced spice notes, but they are subtle and more peppery than baking spices.
On day 2 this has improved somewhat but is also closing down so the benefits of being opened for a day are somewhat offset but the increasing tightness here. It's still delicious, and the texture is showing a move towards silkiness, but the aromatics haven't evolved as much as one might have hoped. Theres more sweet tobacco notes, and cherry fruit, but theres a little less detail here today. This definitely needs time, 3-5 years in the cellar, and being opened can't replace that sort of slow evolution. Obviously superb, classic Barbaresco nonetheless!