Azienda Agricola Barbacarlo

Azienda Agricola Barbacarlo has been in the Maga family since 1886, growing vines on the steep hillsides of the Oltrepò Pavese, near the town of Broni in Lombardy, Italy. For decades the estate was defined by Comm. Lino Maga, who became known as one of the last great traditional winemakers of the region — a figure often compared to Bartolo Mascarello for his uncompromising, non-interventionist style. Lino Maga passed away in 2021 at the age of 90, and his son, Giuseppe Maga, now carries on the family’s steadfast commitment to low-intervention winemaking.

One of the defining chapters in the estate’s history came from the name Barbacarlo itself. It honors “uncle Carlo,” the original owner of the parcel, and Lino Maga spent years fighting a legal battle to secure exclusive rights to it, finally winning in 1983. Today Barbacarlo stands as a true monopole.

The estate farms about eight hectares of vines, averaging fifty years old, planted with native varieties — Croatina, Uva Rara, and Vespolina — at around 300 meters of altitude on soils of tuff, silt, and gravel. No synthetic products are used in the vineyard, and in the cellar, fermentation happens naturally, without temperature control, in wooden tini dating back to World War II.

Only two wines are produced: Barbacarlo and Montebuono, each drawn from its own roughly four-hectare parcel, along with a small amount of grappa. Both wines reflect the unpredictability that comes with such a hands-off approach — some vintages are bone dry, others carry a touch of residual sugar or a natural pétillance. Built to age, they tend to gain aromatic complexity over time.

Azienda Agricola Barbacarlo Comm. Lino Maga ‘Montebuono’