David Fletcher Barbaresco Recta Pete 2021

Sour cherry, red flowers, hibiscus tea, tar, liquorice, blood, a hint of dust. Substantial tannins, well-integrated despite the youth. Coffee, a subtle metallic edge, pleasant sweetness on the finish. Still needs time to fully resolve, but the promise is becoming reality - bumping this one up.

David Fletcher is an Australian winemaker who came to Barbaresco for a 2007 harvest at Ceretto and stayed - rising to assistant winemaker there alongside Alessandro Ceretto, while building his own label in parallel. Garagiste-scale, now seven wines across ~12 sites. Cantina and home are the restored, formerly abandoned Barbaresco train station ("La Stazione") - bought by the Fletchers in 2014, sitting at the foot of Asili and Martinenga. Owned vineyards organic and/or biodynamic; native-yeast ferments, gentle infusion-style extraction, élevage in old (10+ year) 300 L French oak.

Recta Pete is his multi-cru Barbaresco DOCG blend - not a single-vineyard bottling, despite the focused name. The 2021 composition: 40% Roncaglie (Treiso), 30% Faset (Treiso), 30% Ronchi (Barbaresco commune; new to the cuvée in 2021). 100% destemmed, native-yeast open fermentation, no post-ferment soak. 24 months in old 300 L French oak plus 3 months in bottle - well above the Barbaresco DOCG minimum (26 months total / 9 in wood). Unfined, unfiltered, minimal SO2.

The name comes from David's Scottish heritage: "Recta Pete" is the Latin motto of Clan Fletcher, commonly translated "seek what is right." The surname Fletcher (Mac-an-Leister) is occupational - arrow-maker - so the producer leans into the archery pun and renders the motto as "shoot straight."

2021 in the Langhe was a structured, classic-leaning vintage: long even season, cool nights pre-harvest, perfumed and built-for-the-cellar wines.

Yikes, this is beautiful. Third time with this wine, and it's really coming into focus. Still powerful, still young, but noticeably more seductive than before - give it time to breathe. Sour cherry, red flowers, hibiscus tea, tar, liquorice, blood, a hint of dust. Substantial tannins, well-integrated despite the youth. Coffee, subtle metallic edge, pleasant sweetness on the finish. Still needs time to fully resolve, but the promise is becoming reality. Bumping this up.

Compared to the younger Langhe, this wine is more perfumed and developed, offering a captivating array of aromas: sour cherry, red flowers, hibiscus tea, tar, blood, and a hint of dust. On the palate, it's impressive, with powerful tannins that are well-balanced despite its youth. There are flavors of coffee and a subtle metallic note. The finish reveals a pleasant sweetness, though overall, it still feels a touch too green. Nonetheless, it remains stylish and serious---an intriguing wine with promise.

This is definitely a fantastic wine, albeit quite young. It's densely packed, tense, and complex. Thanks to the decanter, there's much to uncover here. The nose offers notes of sour cherry, red flowers, hibiscus tea, tar, and blood. On the palate, it presents a slightly metallic character, with high acidity and somewhat green tannins. It's a stylish and serious wine that certainly needs time to reach its full potential.

Barbaresco Recta Pete

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