Fletcher Recta Pete Barbaresco 2019

After stints in Australia as a winemaker with respected estates such as O’Leary Walker and Sticks he landed a job with Treasury helping to grade vineyards across their huge portfolio of sites, a role David emphasised help him truly grasp the value of site selection and vine age. In 2007 he flew to Piedmonte and worked his first vintage with Cerrato, one of the regions iconic Nebbiolo producers and simply fell in love with the region and the wines they make. Fast forward to today and he now lives full time in Barbaresco, making his own wines under the Fletcher label to critic acclaim.

Recta Pete means ‘shoot straight’, a nod to David’s Scottish family’s heritage as former arrow makers and his original vision of making Barbaresco. This wine is sourced from 100% Cru vineyards. Similar to the Burgundy model (but not exactly the same) by blending the three Cru’s David declassifies to a ‘simple’ Barbaresco DOCG. All the wine in this bottling is from Cru classified vineyards.

In 2019 it’s 50% from Roncaglie Cru, 30% from Starderi and 20% from Ronchi. It’s a small production, with David sourcing 0.3 hectares from Roncaglie (the whole Cru is 13 hct), 0.3 Hects from 2 different vineyards in Starderi and 0.2 hectares in Ronchi. 100% destemmed. Open ferment, No post ferment soak. Elevage in old oak, over 10 years old, 300ltr barrels. Barbaresco can only be released on the 3rd January following harvest, giving the wine approx. 27 months total aging. David ages his wines for 24 months in barrel (legally it only needs be 12 as a minimum) then 3 months in bottle.

The three Cru’s give of course differing characteristics to the overall wine. David explains that Roncaglie is picked significantly later than Starderi, South West facing, a little more shaded so longer hang time & more ferrous soils = Dark fruits, more masculine tannin. Starderi is South facing, ‘classic’ Barbaresco soil of sand, silt and clay but full of Calcium carbonate/Calcareous given the village was formerly the seabed. It offers elegance, spice and a red berry profile. Ronchi, a new addition in 2019 is East facing and in this vintage adds some ‘freshness’to the wine, a cooler vineyard.

The Finer Details
Style - Red Wine
Varietal -  Nebbiolo
Country - Italy
Region - Barbaresco
Vintage - 2019
Bottle Size - 750ml
ABV - 14%