Bric Balin is a 2.4-hectare site within the Muncagota cru with gray marl and calcareous soils at an ideal 260 to 300 meters above sea level. The Moccagatta 2017 Barbaresco Bric Balin brings extra intensity and concentration with dark fruit, spice, tilled earth and campfire ash. The wine sees a standard 18 months in barrique, and this too results in the added power you perceive. The tannins (both from the oak and the fruit in this hot vintage) are a touch astringent. Some 13,000 bottles were made.

Moccagatta's 2017 Barbaresco Bric Balin is another pretty Barbaresco from Moccagatta. Here, to, the challenges of the growing season are impossible to miss in the drying tannins and oak influence, which are especially evident because of the wine's mid-weight structure. Dark cherry, plum, hard candy, spice and coffee notes all develop. The finish is a bit attenuated today, and the stress of a growing season marked by intense heat is evident, but the wine has also just been bottled, so let's see what happens.