2023 Renato Ratti Langhe Nebbiolo Ochetti
Ordered a bottle at a supper club before the Nate Bargatze show. 100% Nebbiolo grown on sandy soil. Very light and clear ruby color. A rather bright profile with red and pink berry notes. No noticeable oak and soft tannins. An easy drinking wine. Paired this with prime rib and it was too light to be a good match. 88 points.
VM
The winery website (click here) says the fruit is from the left side (north) of the Tanaro River, i.e. Roero, where the soils are sandy. That area produces lighter wines than Barbaresco and Barolo and the other areas south and east of the Tanaro.
Langhe is a bit of a catch-all DOC. A lot of young-vine Barolo and Barbaresco is bottled under that designation, but it also captures Roero and a lot of less prime land around the edges of the region – the bright green here.
Also, 2023 was a freakishly hot and dry year, so I imagine a lot of producers were forced to compensate in one way or the other.
Still, it’s great that there is a nebbiollo bottling that is a good fit for restaurants.
I see lots of nebbiolos on restaurant lists. They’re often good value and good food matches.
