Classic

Barbacan

Barbacan Curnàl 2023

Name: Barbacan Curnàl 2023
Brand: Barbacan
SKU: BARBACAN-CURNAL
Price: 60.00 USD
Availability: InStock

$60.00

Style: Dry, light-to-medium-bodied red; the Chiavennasca-dominant blend retains the characteristic Alpine freshness of Valtellina — high acidity, fine tannins, and a mineral backbone — while the old-vine Rossolini component adds aromatic complexity and a rustic depth uncommon in younger vine expressions
Grapes & terroir: Chiavennasca (local Nebbiolo) and Rossolini from nearly century-old vines; organically farmed terraced vineyards in the Valgella area of Valtellina, San Giacomo di Teglio; sandy soils rich in gneiss, granite, and quartz at 400–750 metres elevation; all work strictly manual given the near-vertical slopes
Winemaking: Hand-harvested; spontaneous fermentation with indigenous yeasts; bottled unfined and unfiltered; minimal sulfur at bottling only; consistent with Barbacan's hands-off approach across the entire range
Serving temperature & decanting: Serve at 60–64°F; decant 20–30 minutes; young vintages benefit from time in the glass to open the aromatics
Pairing: Pizzoccheri della Valtellina (buckwheat pasta with Bitto cheese and cabbage)
Similar to: Valtellina Superiore Valgella, Barolo from La Morra, Etna Rosso from Nerello Mascalese

Barbacan Curnàl 2023 is a red wine made from a blend of Chiavennasca (the local name for Nebbiolo) and Rossolini sourced from nearly century-old vines on the organically farmed, steeply terraced slopes of San Giacomo di Teglio in the Valgella area of Valtellina, northern Lombardy. A new cuvée from the Sega family, it is produced using Barbacan's consistent approach: spontaneous fermentation with indigenous yeasts, no fining, no filtration, and no added sulfites. Barbacan Curnàl 2023 reflects the sandy, mineral-rich granite and gneiss soils of these high-altitude Alpine terraces. Alpi Retiche IGT. Lombardy.

We will process and ship your order in 2-3 business days, you will receive a shipping confirmation email with tracking as soon as the Carrier scans the shipping label.

Ground shipping time depends on location, here's a breakdown:

West Coast: 1-2 business days
Midwest: 3-4 business days
East Coast: 5 business days

Process time is not shipping time. Shipping time starts from the days successive to the day of shipping, after the order has been processed.

See here our shipping policy.

Important Compliance Requirements

FedEx and other carriers we might occasionally use can only deliver wine to customers who are 21 years or older. Someone must be at the address to receive the package, carriers don't just drop a package and leave. They must ensure the person receiving the wine is 21 or older.

Re-shipping a Package

If a package is returned to us after three failed delivery attempts, we can only re-ship the wine upon payment of a re-shipping fee, to be determined based on the shipping address and number of bottles. Shipping wine is extremely expensive. We are sorry about this, but we have no other choice. Please make sure there's always someone at the address you enter as your shipping address.

If you'd like to receive a refund for a package that was returned to us after FedEx made three delivery attempts, we can do that but we must keep a $20 refund fee; FedEx charges us a lot of money for returns, unfortunately, I can't stress this enough.

Re-routing a Package

If you'd like to reroute a package after it's been shipped, we can do so for a $20 re-routing fee. We cannot re-route a package across state borders. For any change of address, please contact us as soon as possible, ideally within 1-2 days from placing the order or we cannot guarantee we'll be able to reroute or change your order's shipping address.

Canceling an Order

If you'd like to cancel an order after it's been shipped, we can do so upon payment of a small cancellation fee – the amount depends on the size of the order. Carriers charge us a lot of money to recall a package en-route.

Heat/Frost damage

We are not responsible for heat- or frost-related issues. We offer ice-packs upon request. Please let us know if you think that there could be heat-related issues. If we don't hear anything from you regarding weather issues before an order is shipped, or if you don't request a hold due to the weather, we are not responsible for heat/frost damage.

Placed an order. What next?

1. You will receive an order confirmation email with your order summary.*

2. As soon as your order ships from the warehouse, usually within 2-3 business days, this applies to all shipping rates, you will receive a shipping confirmation email with your tracking information. 2DAY shipping refers to shipping time; we still need 2-3 business days to prepare an order. We need to pick and pack, QA, add printed collateral, and palletize the orders.

3. Please track your package using the tracking service.

4. The carrier will attempt delivery a maximum of 3 times. After 3 delivery attempts, your package will be sent back to our warehouse.**

*Please ensure your email address is correct; otherwise, you will not receive the order and shipping confirmation emails.

**If delivery is attempted 3 times without success, or if you fail to retrieve your package from the carrier depot by the stated deadline, the shipping fee will not be refunded to the customer.

Returns Policy

If you are not satisfied with your purchase, please contact us at (424) 414-2040 or via e-mail at hello@primalwine.com between 9 am and 5 pm Pacific Standard Time, Monday through Sunday, we would like to understand and try to solve your concerns. We can offer refunds only as store credit.

Barbacan Curnàl 2023

$60.00

Producer profile

Barbacan

Barbacan is a family winery based in San Giacomo di Teglio in the Valgella area of Valtellina, run by Angelo Sega and his sons Matteo and Luca. The family has been farming these slopes for at least six generations; their great-great-great-grandfather Domenico Pedrotti began selling wine commercially in the mid-nineteenth century. Angelo took over in 1976 and steadily grew the estate to its current size of approximately nine hectares. Since around 2011, Matteo and Luca have taken day-to-day responsibility for both vineyard and cellar.

The name Barbacan comes from the local dialect word for the stone buttresses that support the ancient terraced walls — a reflection of the family's identity as custodians of this landscape rather than simply producers. Farming is certified organic. All vineyard work is manual, since the steep gradients and narrow terrace paths make any mechanisation impossible. The Segas maintain a nursery of over 20 different Chiavennasca clones, alongside a number of indigenous varieties including Rossola, Pignola, Brugnola, Negrera, Rossolino, and Chiavennaschino. The Curnàl is among the newer additions to the range, drawing on nearly century-old plantings of Chiavennasca and Rossolini.

In the cellar, the approach is fixed: indigenous yeasts only, no additions, no fining, no filtration, and minimal sulfur at bottling as the sole concession to stability. Barbacan is one of the very few fully natural producers in Valtellina certified organic by Valoritalia. The distinctive labels across the range are inspired by the Neolithic cave paintings found on the rock faces of the surrounding mountains.

Other Barbacan wines available at Primal Wine include: Rosso Alpi Retiche, Rosato Alpi Retiche, Jazpémi Valtellina Superiore, Söl Valtellina Superiore, Livél Riserva, and Fracia Riserva. Discover more in our best-selling natural wines collection.

Wine region

Lombardia, Italy

Valtellina is a narrow Alpine valley in the northernmost part of Lombardy, running east–west along the course of the Adda River, with the Swiss border just a few kilometres to the north. The valley floor sits at around 200 metres elevation, while the vineyards cling to the south-facing slopes of the valley's right bank, rising to 900 metres in places. The intense solar exposure on these south-facing terraces, combined with the altitude and the influence of the Bergamo and Rhaetian Alps, creates a continental climate with warm, dry days and cold nights. The warm breva wind from Lake Como to the west arrives almost every afternoon, reducing moisture and disease pressure.

The soils of Valtellina's best vineyards are shallow and stony, dominated by granite, gneiss, schist, and quartz-rich sand, with minimal organic matter. These poor, well-drained soils stress vine roots into deep growth, concentrate flavour in the small Chiavennasca berries, and contribute a pronounced mineral salinity to the wines. The result is a style of Nebbiolo markedly different from Piedmont's expressions: leaner, more translucent in colour, higher in acidity, and defined more by floral aromatics and Alpine herbs than by the tar and rose of Barolo or Barbaresco.

The Valtellina system of dry-stone terraces, called muretti, represents one of the great landscape achievements in European viticulture. These walls — some over a thousand years old — require constant maintenance and make mechanical farming impossible. In 2018, the terraced vineyards of Valtellina were recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Valgella subzone, where Barbacan farms, is one of five recognised crus within the Valtellina Superiore DOCG, considered by many to produce the most immediately aromatic and approachable wines in the appellation.

Frequently asked question

When is my order shipping?

We are doing your best to ship your order in 2-3 business days.

We will process and ship your order in 2-3 business days, you will receive a shipping confirmation email with tracking as soon as the Carrier scans the shipping label.

Ground shipping time depends on location, here's a breakdown:

West Coast: 1-2 business days
Midwest: 3-4 business days
East Coast: 5 business days

Process time is not shipping time. Shipping time starts from the days successive to the day of shipping, after the order has been processed.

See here our shipping policy.

Do I have to sign upon delivery?

Yes, someone 21 years or older must sign for the package.

Signature on delivery is mandatory for wine deliveries. Please make sure someone is at the shipping address to sign for the package.

If applicable, please consider delivering the package to a business address to ensure someone is available to sign for the package.

We also have the option of delivering the package to a Carrier's store for pickup. Please reach out to us to coordinate.

Carrier will try to delivery a package up to three times before returning the package to us.

See here our shipping policy.

What if I miss a delivery?

Worry not, we have options, but please read carefully.

If you miss a delivery and a package gets returned to us we have two options:

1) Reship the package right away: due to the very high cost of shipping and returns, we must charge a re-shipping fee to be determined based on package size and shipping destination.

2) Consolidate the returned package with your next order: this option is free of charge and it's the most popular option.

See here our shipping policy.

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What is natural wine?

Natural wine is a type of wine made in small batches from organic or biodynamic grapes with minimal intervention.

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Biodynamic wine is wine made from grapes farmed biodynamically. Biodynamic farming is a holistic approach.

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