Author: Dirk Chan
The De Forville family emigrated to Piedmonte from Belgium in 1848 and established themselves in the village of Barbaresco in 1860. During the early part of the twentieth century, the De Forvilles sold their wine in bulk directly to restaurants and to retailers who then bottled the wine. In 1940 the estate bottled its first wine and now (in its fifth generation) virtually their entire production is bottled at the estate with annual output averaging 100,000 bottles.
The nearly 11 hectare domaine is divided between the villages of Barbaresco and Castagnole Lanze (4 km east of Barbaresco in the direction of Asti). All grapes are hand-harvested. We were enamored with all four wines tasted – the house style is definitely old-world with an earthy element thoughout the entire line yet also allows the fruit to shine. Such purity and what incredible value here as well. Not a lot came into Alberta so try some soon!
Pictured left to right:
2023 De Forville Piedmonte Chardonnay (Piedmont, Italy) – $27.99
2022 De Forville Barbera d’Alba (Piedmont, Italy) – $27.99
2022 De Forville Langhe Nebbiolo (Piedmont, Italy) – $29.99