Langhe Nebbiolo

 

You only get a sense of what is going to happen in a wine region when you visit there. And what is clearly going to happen in Piedmont is there will be more Langhe Nebbiolo. Winemakers are starting to realise that Langhe Nebbiolo is a great entry point to get consumers to Barbaresco and Barolo. It is an easier drinking style, but shares the flavour components, while easier on the tannin structure. Essentially, there are three sources for Langhe Nebbiolo: Nebbiolo grown from outside Barolo and Barbaresco, Nebbiolo grown inside on vineyards with northern exposure (not allowed for Barolo), or declassified Barolo, for example from low lying vineyards or young vines. With warmer climate, the quality of these sources has improved out of sight. So much so, that there is discussion to allow Nebbiolo from northern vineyards to be included in Barolo. The variety suffering from this development is Barbera. No doubt, there is good Barbera around, but many vines are being replaced by Nebbiolo. So let’s have a look at some of these wines, which all sell at a fraction, say 25% of good Barolo.

The 2021 Massolino Langhe Nebbiolo is fresh and elegant. Red cherry flavours dominate, and there is enough intensity to make this a serious wine. Another thing that Langhe Nebbiolo offers is a window into more recent vintages, as maturation is much shorter. 2021 may not be 2019, but is looking very good (91 points).

The 2021 Chiara Boschis Langhe Nebbiolo, from the lower parts of three vineyards in Monforte, looks even better. Dark cherry flavours fill the mouth with elegance. The wine is quite long, with exquisite tannins on the finish (92 points).

Paolo Scavino offers already a 2022 Langhe Nebbiolo. It comes from 35 year old vines in La Morra. A short maceration (4-5 days in this case) is typical for this wine. This wine has notes of white flowers and rose petals. It is a fresh, soft, and open wine, a bit less structured than the previous two (88 points).

The 2020 Vietti Perbacco Langhe Nebbiolo is a stunner. It spent 18 months in slavonian oak and comes from the same vineyard sources as the Barolos. Red cherry, orange peel, rose petal, and some herbal notes deliver a serious flavour blend. It is an elegant wine, with good drive, simply delicious. With 60,000 bottles, it is the largest volume Vietti wine (94 points).

Elio Grasso’s Langhe Nebbiolo is from the 2022 vintage. The wine sees no oak and is very different from the serious Vietti style. 2ha in Monforte are dedicated to this wine. It also includes the Runcot grapes in years when the special reserve is not made, as was the case in 2022. The wine is red fruited and upfront. The tannins are a bit blocky, and frankly, while the fruit is good, the wine misses some oak (90 points).

Mauro Molino’s 2021 Langhe Nebbiolo comes from a region outside Barolo. 35,000 bottles from 15-20 year old vines were made. The colour of this wine is very orange. It is firstly quite elegant on the palate, but turns a bit rusty on the back palate (89 points).

Overall, I found these wines very pleasant to drink and recommend them.