Cascina San Michele Primevì Barbera d'Asti

Tasting notes & discussion 20

Typically $30/bottle from Cascina San Michele
Vintage 2022 from Costigliole d’Asti, Piemonte
Available for AL; AZ; AR; CA; CO; CT; DC; FL; GA; ID; IL; IN; IA; KS; KY; LA; ME; MD; MA; MI; MN; MO; MT; NE; NV; NH; NJ; NM; NY; NC; ND; OH; OK; OR; PA; RI; SC; SD; TN; TX; VT; VA; WA; WV; WI; WY
Sold by participating winery or licensee, fulfilled by Wine Country Connect

About Cascina San Michele: “There are cellars that ask you to admire the wine, and then there is Cascina San Michele, where Marco Minnucci would rather pour you a glass and start a conversation.”

Peppercorn Demotion

TASTING NOTES: “Dark cherry, blackberry and plum, with accents of licorice, wild herbs and black pepper. Ripe and supple, yet bright on its feet; Barbera’s mouthwatering acidity cuts through the fruit and carries a lively, savory finish.” (AbV 14.5%)

VARIETALS: 100% Barbera

BARRELS: Stainless steel.

PAIRS WITH: N/A

THAT REMINDS ME OF: Black pepper, the last accent in the tasting note.

When Alaric the Visigoth besieged Rome in 408, the ransom he named for lifting the siege included 5,000 pounds of gold, 30,000 pounds of silver, and 3,000 pounds of pepper. Read that again: pepper made the list alongside gold and silver, as a line item in a negotiation over the fate of the Roman Empire. The Romans, to their credit, did not say “we have a whole jar of that at home.” They paid it, or at least negotiated it down, and the ancient historian Zosimus wrote the whole thing up.

The Dutch still have an adjective for this, peperduur, literally “pepper-expensive,” which means outrageously priced. Meanwhile English went the opposite direction and gave us the “peppercorn rent,” a legal term for rent so tiny it’s basically a formality, a single peppercorn a year, handed over to make a contract binding. So at some point pepper went from “we’ll spare your city for this” to “technically a payment, please don’t make it weird.” I want to know who was in charge of that demotion, and whether they got a raise in cinnamon.

Who's buying this?

How are you buying your bottles?

Pepper once helped ransom Rome, and now it sits free on every table. How do you treat the pepper grinder?

I give it a few polite twists and move on

I give it a few polite twists and move on
I keep grinding until the dish is covered

I keep grinding until the dish is covered
I like fresh-cracked pepper and will wait for it

I like fresh-cracked pepper and will wait for it
I use the pre-ground stuff and have no regrets

I use the pre-ground stuff and have no regrets
Comments

Comments

33 votes

Cascina San Michele Primevì Barbera d'Asti

Who's buying this?

How are you buying your bottles?

Pepper once helped ransom Rome, and now it sits free on every table. How do you treat the pepper grinder?

Stores.com

Your Account

About