This thing has to be the most expensive Langhe Nebbiolo on the planet! It is bloody good though. Young vines Vigna Rionda.
2017 Giovanni Rosso Langhe Nebbiolo Ester Canale Rosso: Smells almost Vosne-Romanee like, with its intoxicating scent of Asian spice, rose petals and wild cherries. It is deeply pitched, layered and silky in the mouth. Waves of luscious fruits lap around the gums and there’s plenty of earthy/savoury traits to counter. Tannins are ripe, yet supportive, buried just below the flesh. It finishes with good cut and really fans out on the long finish.
There are also links in that thread to some great information on the site and these wines in articles by Eric Guido and Ken V. I’m not sure the legend of the site justifies these prices, but this 2017 does sound like a darned delicious Langhe Nebbiolo that I might actually buy a bottle of to try. One can get some top Barolo at this price, thus that word “might”.
What do you think, Jeremy, is it worth a shot, or is the money best spent elsewhere?
It’s not cheap , I would agree . But retailers are asking too much imho just cos it produces very little . I think its better than 75% of barolos out there . It’s the same parcel of the barolo but the barolo comes from vines planted in 1946 and the nebbiolos vines were planted in 2011 if remember correctly .
Having visited the B&B region for years I have seen significant change. I have been posting and remarking on it particularly the last few years. The Napa-ization of Barolo. Not the wines per se, but the shift to a tourist-centric economic structure similar to today’s Napa Valley. Tour buses trying to navigate the narrow roads of the center of Barolo, the explosion of wine shops on every block selling t-shirts and knick-nacks. Tasting fees and Relais hotels popping up like mushrooms after a rain. All understandable. But now the outside money is moving in paying huge sums for vineyards that need to be paid for. I fully understand why it is moving in this direction. Cranes as far as the eyes can see for the foreseeable future. Do not get me wrong, as I know nothing of this producer or whether their piece of Collina Rionda is a long time family owned property previously leased by Giacosa. But it seems to be following that Napa model. Get access to To Kalon and you can charge the moon. I am interested to try this wine, and would be thrilled to say it was worth the tariff.
If you want to try a more affordable baby Barolo I recommend Guido Porro’s Langhe Nebbiolo, priced exactly as the appellation suggests, but entirely made from young vines within the Barolo Serralunga D’Alba area. Kermit Lynch is the US importer.
Giovanni Rosso Langhe Nebbiolo is a very good wine and very expensive, as said. When visiting the winery we tasted the all line comparing the source vines: the wine made of the old vines, ie:G Rosso Barolo Vignarionda Ester Canale is better but 3 times more expensive. Anyway, the Langhe Nebbiolo is actually the last chance to drink “cheap” from the cru before the vines will join the old vines for the Rosso Barolo.
There is only one other layer in the equation and that would be the Importer. Vias Imports just picked up the US rights to Giovanni Rosso in March of last year. Historically Vias (longtime US Importer for Produtorri Del Barbaresco along with many other top Estates) has offered very sharp pricing across the board. The likelihood of Vias gouging on a Langhe Nebbiolo within the first year of representing the producer is remote.
