Despite failing to embark on my intended project of updating both of my loyal subscribers on my sommelier studies each week, I have been working my tail off and amply pickling my liver over the past two months learning everything I can about the wonderful world of wine. So here's the next update, focusing on one of my absolute favorite grape varietals.
***
There's something particularly magical about a wine region that climbs to global renown by working with its hometown varietals––syrah in the northern Rhône, for example. The Piedmont in northwestern Italy is one such place, and an entire week of my sommelier certification studies was focused there. This gave me the chance to drink bottles upon bottles one of my very favorite varietals, and one indigenous to Piemonte––nebbiolo.
I've heard the experience of drinking nebbiolo described as getting "kicked by a ballerina"––while the fruit and aromas are lithe, nuanced, and complex, the tannin, the muscle beneath, is robust. Indeed, while possessing much of the delicacy and sensitivity to terroir as the Maestro's favorite grape, pinot noir, nebbiolo exhibits a rather preposterous amount of tannin in young wines. The GIF below is somehow a perfect and amusing depiction of the soft-hard juxtaposition of the varietal.
I prefer to drink my wine rather than chew it, so it's important to approach much of the nebbiolo on the market at an advanced age; some winemakers say ten or more years, and some old school jawns even say twenty-five or more! Fortunately for our instant gratification–driven market, but unfortunately for most other things, the warming climate has been contributing to more wines with lower tannin, and also the demands of that same market drive some winemakers to limit tannin in their products so as to be approachable earlier. (The vast majority of wine purchased these days is consumed within days, if not hours, of purchase).
Once the tannin mellows, however, you get full access to the glories of nebbiolo––waves of red cherries and dark brambles frame rustic aromatic of roses, mushrooms, and a hit of tar, but still with the power of lingering structure. Moreover, the grape is exceptionally sensitive to terroir; every mesoclimate and soil type will produce different qualities, and of course winemaking style counts for a lot as well! This is why vineyard-specific designations are perhaps more important for Piemontese nebbiolo than any other wine region except Burgundy.
The best nebbiolo in the world comes from its home field––the Langhe in Piemonte. A local dialect's word for "tongue," the Langhe follows gently sloping ridgelines that resemble their namesake, with the two most famous sites for nebbiolo––Barolo and Barbaresco––flanking the town of Alba to the southwest and northeast, respectively.
Barolo in particular has been described as "the wine of kings, and the king of wines." But before the mid-1800s, nebbiolo as we know it today, including the mighty Barolo, wasn't even a thought. Wines from the Piedmont were once similar to those made in some of the more famous dessert-wine producing regions––fortified wines from red grapes. But French vintners and oenologists saw an opportunity. With the help of the aristocracy, the Court of Savoy (which ruled over Piemonte at the time), and experts from France, a new, dry style of wine was created from nebbiolo, which is where we got the prototype for the Barolos and Barbarescos (and Ghemmes, Gattinaras, and Roeros, oh my!) we know today.
Barbaresco, a mere 20km northeast of Barolo, can be thought of as its sprightly little brother––while the first serious dry wines from here date to the 1890s, quality winemaking in the model of big brother Barolo didn't take off until the late 1950s. Today, Barbaresco and Barolo are often spoken of in the same breath, and the quality of the wines from Barbaresco can certainly match (or exceed!) those of its more storied neighbor.
What does nebbiolo taste like?
At its best, a perfectly aged nebbiolo will offer waves of dark and candied cherries, red and black brambles, dried and stewed fruit, floral notes of roses or violets, a hint of rustic astringency and structure, and an underpinning of savory, truffle-like notes. Sounds glorious, right? So glorious, that it's so easy to pop a bottle before it's ready and all the elements have settled in perfect harmony and balance. But it's a grape that rewards patience, if you can keep it!
It should go without saying that vineyard site and producer techniques have a strong effect on the final wine. Macroclimatic conditions, proximity to the Tanaro river, and cooler, more fertile soil make Barbarescos lighter, more perfumed, and redder in fruit, as well as lower in tannin, which means they drink better earlier! This is a contrast to the most brooding of Barolos, grown on nutrient-poor, looser soils on higher slopes.
But even within a region, the sites shows tremendous contrast––more approachable wines from the northwest of the Barolo, for example, around La Morra, show fresher red fruit, grace, and fragrance, while the muscular Serralunga d'Alba, on the eastern side of the commune, is far less forgiving with its massive tannins, but will age more beautifully than just about any red wine on the planet. Compound this complexity with an increasing emphasis on single vineyard sites, or crus, and you have a recipe for an exceptionally nuanced and exciting wine region.
The cellar practices, too, very much guide the final style of the wine. Look no further than how vintners might choose to age their wines in oak––the traditional, large Slavonian oak botti are used in vintage after vintage, leaving very little of the oaky compounds and limiting the influence of the wood on the wine. But the Piedmont, a former territory of the Court of Savoy, sees the influence of France, and some vintners instead age wine in smaller, first- or second-use French barrels called barriques, which became popular with the rise of opulent, extracted and heavily oaked wines in the 80s. These days, vintners seek balance, and traditional practices are being blended with innovations and international techniques to produce wines precisely tailored to the site's expressiveness and the winemaker's style, as well as the demands of a changing climate and market.
If you favor more immediately friendly, brighter styles of wine, Barbaresco might be just the trick. The soils resemble those on the west side of Barolo, perfect for a more delicate style with softer tannin that drinks earlier and is wonderfully food-friendly. With either Barolo or Barbaresco, you'll find magnificent wines with the perfume, complexity, and longevity of the region's millenium-old varietal. But, of course, that often comes with a rather hefty price tag.
On a budget? The affordable side of nebbiolo
Barolos and Barbarescos often fetch exorbitant prices, and it's challenging for the average middle class consumer to find a good bottle of wine from these villages without siphoning off a healthy slice of a paycheck. But everyone deserves to experience good nebbiolo, and fortunately, there are killer examples ripe for the drinking that are kinder to the wallet.
The first place to look if you want the classic, rustic style of Piemontese nebbiolo is the immediate environs of the two heavyweight villages––look in particular for "Langhe" and "Roero." Wine is a commodity, and prices reflect the renown of the label––a nebbiolo with "Barolo" or "Barbaresco" is more likely to command a heavy premium. An Italian winemaker once told me that nebbiolo from outside the borders of the rockstar communes is the country's best-kept secret.
In fact, you can find some wines just labeled "Langhe" that might actually be grown and vinified in Barolo or Barbaresco! New plantings, for example, don't qualify under the classification laws of the DOCGs to be labeled with the village name because there are minimum vine age requirements––some vines, while producing fruit that is young and can be less complex and interesting, will grow up to produce some of the best nebbiolos in the world, and the fruits of their labors can be copped at a fraction of the price while they're not designated by their village.
Spunky afficionados of the varietal are really grooving on other nebbiolo-producing regions in Italy, and the Piedmont happens to host two more of them. These days, the names Ghemme and Gattinara are making increased appearances on wine lists and tasting menu pairing slates. Nebbiolos from this region in Alto Piemonte, a much more Alpine environment than the Langhe, are benefitting from increased ripeness and quality due to the warming climate. Get them while they're cheap––many in the industry predict that good Gattinara and Ghemme, like Barolo and Barbaresco, will one day command breathtaking prices, so there's a real opportunity to get great deals now and let the wines age.
What about nebbiolo outside the Piedmont?
The pinnacle of nebbiolo is rightly the place of its origin––family wineries have been working with the grapes for decades or even centuries, and know precisely how to treat it. But nebbiolo also grows in other parts of Italy, and in fact is making its mark on wine regions in the Americas, as well as down under in Australia and New Zealand.
In the far northern pre-Alps of Lombardy, the Italian province that is famously the home of Lambrusco, the steep vineyards of the Valtellina Superiore region produce some of the most elegant, perfumed examples of nebbiolo in Italy.
Further afield, look for nebbiolo in some of the more relaxed wine regions in California. Some fantastic plantings can be found in Santa Barbara County, known as a superlative cool-climate region for pinot and chardonnay viticulture.
But if you really want a deep cut, dig into the next frontier of superb nebbiolo in the new world––Mexico. Three-quarters of Mexico's burgeoning wine industry is in the Valle de Guadalupe in Baja, a climate closely resembling California's best wine regions. Bordeaux varietals grow beautifully here, but plantings of old vine nebbiolo can also be found and have developed a cult following.
Mexican grapes grow in a much hotter climate than Piemonte, so don't expect the perfume, tension, and delicacy of Italian nebbiolo. Instead, you'll get a rich, but approachable wine, with ample layers of dark cherries, plums, flowers, and a hint of salinity. The best part? Good Mexican nebbiolo can be found for less than $20.
The Maestro's picks
You've gotten a crash course in one of the Maestro's favorite varietals. Now, go drink it! Here are some of my favorite examples of the varietal, at various price points to meet almost any budget:
Premium Barolo: Giuseppe Mascarello, Monprivato ($250)
If you can afford it, there's probably no routinely better Barolo than that made from Mascarello's plantings in the famous Monprivato vineyard. Year over year, these wines are rockstars. Look for the 2015 or 2016 vintages and let them sit for a decade. And please invite me over when you open it.
Mid-range Barolo: Andrea Oberto, La Morra ($50)
La Morra normally produces wine with brighter, fruit, softer tannin, and more aromatic character, but Oberto manages to balance that with some serious depth and power in their La Morra bottling. A killer value, especially in tough vintages, like 2017.
Affordable Barolo: Damilano, "Lecinquevigne" ($30)
Damilano makes possibly the best bang-for-your-buck Barolo––from five different vineyards (hence the name of the wine, "Lecinquevigne") in an era where single-site wines are prized, I've seen it for as cheap as $30. Even my supermarket with a generally dinky European wine selection has it. I don't think there's a better value for exceptional nebbiolo in either village.
Absurdly affordable Barolo: Kirkland, "Signature" Barolo ($20)
Yep, Kirkland. Wines under Costco's proprietary label can be decidedly hit-or-miss, but their Signature Barolo is a shining star, and an absolute steal, if lacking some of the complexity of the above examples. Snag a bottle next time you're there, if you see it.
Premium Barbaresco: Anything by Gaja (price can range from $200 to the thousands)
Ask any sommelier, and they'll probably agree––Angelo Gaja makes arguably the best Barbaresco out there. Mostly derived from single vineyards, the wines from this pioneer of Barbaresco can be absolutely spectacular; I'd say they are some of the best red wines in the world. If the price tag is too dear, seek out his "Langhe"-labeled wines for a bit more value.
Mid-range Barbaresco: Michele Chiarlo, "Reyna" ($55)
One of the prettiest, most joyful, and downright delicious nebbiolos I've had. Cascades of red fruit framed by dusty tannin and the perfume of roses, with a hint of earth. Sure to pay dividends with patience and age in the cellar, but like many Barbarescos, approachable earlier than counterparts in Barolo.
Affordable Barbaresco: Produttori de Barbaresco, "Langhe" ($25)
Okay, so this is not technically Barbaresco, but, as mentioned above, younger vines, even if planted in the DOCG's boundaries, make wine that can't be labeled with the village's name. Produttori is a co-op of many tiny growers in Barbaresco, and their "Langhe" bottling is a steal from vines that will one day produce wines that will sell for four times the price. These bottles are sold quite young and should be laid down for a while, but $25 is preposterously cheap for nebbiolo grown in this storied commune vinified by some of the best in the business.
Superlative non-Barolo/Barbaresco Langhe nebbiolo: Sorì della Sorba ($80)
"Sorì" is an Italian term for a prized site "where the snow melts first." Carlo Mondavi––yes, of those Mondavis––makes some of the best pinot noir in California under his RAEN label, but he married an Italian with a family parcel just a stone's throw from Barolo, and they've since embarked on a second project to bring his biodynamic and permaculture practices to the Piedmont. The result is among the most enigmatically complex expressions of nebbiolo I've tried. It's hard to get your hands on, but if you find it, it's worth the price tag, and drinks quite well young, to boot.
Further afield in Italy: Arpepe, Valtellina Superiore Riserva Inferno "Sesto Canto" ($100)
I will confess that Ghemme, Gattinara, and Valtellina are DOCGs I've had fewer chances to sample, but one of the best examples of the varietal in more minor nebbiolo-producing regions is this Valtellina from Arpepe. This is an expensive wine, for sure, but could command three times the price if it came from Barolo or Barbaresco, and would compare quite favorably with the best examples from Piemonte––it's just resplendent, and a wonderful example of how beautifully the grape can express itself outside Piemonte for a sliver of the price.
California nebbiolo: Palmina from Santa Barbara County ($35)
Palmina makes cool-climate California nebbiolo devoted to the traditional style you might find in the Piedmont. While showing a shade more modern edge characteristic of new world wines, these nebbiolos, aged a breathtaking four years in mostly neutral oak, are magical and almost impossibly complex, especially for the price!
Mexican nebbiolo: El Cielo, "Sirius" ($60)
If you're trying wine from a region unfamiliar to you, as I assume Mexican wines might be to most of you, go for something good first to get a real sense of how talented vignerons are expressing the varietal. This is a big boy nebbiolo from Valle de Guadalupe––a very robust expression of the grape, with dark purple fruits and a healthy dose of new oak, but exploring a different side of the varietal can be exciting! They also have a cheaper offering for about $45 called "Perseus"; haven't tried it myself, but if it's made by the same folks as this wonderful Sirius, it's gotta be delicious.
Hope this has given you a little bit of insight into one of the great hometown hero grapes out there, and one of these recommended bottles soon gets popped in your home soon! Look forward to some French wine next.