first, I wanted to say I think its very interesting the difference between the scores of the Colombera wines. Ive really enjoyed the ones I’ve had, but my experience isn’t that extensive.
we’re talking about a bottling labelled “Nebbiolo d’alba” from Giacosa, NOT the “Valmaggiore” bottling, correct?
Thanks for the notes Otto. They’re timely for me, as I’ve been drinking more Langhe Nebbiolo in the past year and am happy with that move. While you correctly mention that many will disappoint, I’ve also found that in good vintages, from good producers, these wines can be more reliable than Barbaresco or Barolo from unknown and lesser producers. With a string of very good to excellent vintages in recent years, I’ve been stocking up quite a bit. My preferred choices have been many of the same producers I like for Barolo and Barbaresco: Produttori, Vajra (specifically the Nebbiolo, though the Freisa-based Rosso is good too but different), Vietti, Sottimano, Paitin, E. Grasso, and likely a few others I’m forgetting. With Barolo and Barbaresco prices for better producers having risen quite a bit in the past decade I’m happy with these for everyday drinking.
Yes, but the Valmaggiore vineyard is in Roero, too.
I have no idea how much that is in reality. It is true that Nebbiolo d’Alba encompasses the whole Roero region, but many producers in Roero make also wines labeled simply “Roero DOCG”, which tend to fetch higher prices than wines labeled “Nebbiolo d’Alba”. Since Nebbiolo d’Alba DOC is a much larger appellation, covering +40% area outside Roero, it would make sense only if you blended fruit sourced from both inside and outside of Roero. Or if the producer wants to age the Nebbiolo exclusively in stainless steel, since Roero DOCG stipulates a minimum of 6 months in oak for the reds.
However, the Valmaggiore thing might be because of historical regions, since Valmaggiore wines predate the creation of DOC Roero and thus were originally released under the DOC Nebbiolo d’Alba appellation. Or then it can be just a Super-Tuscan thing; no need to go for the “higher” appellation, if the wine sells well with the lower one. Nevertheless, there are some who bottle their Valmaggiore Nebbiolo as “Roero”, not “Nebbiolo d’Alba”.
And the d’Alba/Langhe distinction is even less logical when you look at the other Langhe appellations.
Agreed. The terminology/how much area the appellations cover don’t really make that much sense. The appellation borders are quite weird as well. For instance, where Nebbiolo d’Alba covers the Roero appellation, the borders follow each other pretty closely. However, there are some places where the Nebbiolo d’Alba border extends outwards Roero for a small part and others where the opposite happens. Nebbiolo d’Alba also seems to extend to the Barolo region for a few vineyards in the northern reaches of Verduno as well. I have no idea why.
I agreed and I pointed this out in my original post as well. However, my beef is that many producers who make terrific Barolo and/or Barbaresco don’t always make interesting Langhe Nebbiolo for my taste. For example I love Produttori as much as anybody and I’ll happily drink their Langhe Nebbiolo if somebody poured it for me, but it’s a wine I wouldn’t buy for myself. The same goes with Roccalini: they make stunning Barbaresco wines, but their Langhe Nebbiolo just doesn’t scratch the itch. Vietti’s Barolos can be sublime, but their Perbacco is often rather oaky and clumsy for me. When we tasted a bunch of Burlotto’s 2013/2012 wines blind, I found their Langhe Nebbiolo one of the least interesting wines in the range. And so forth. These are all wines I have enjoyed, so there is nothing truly disappointing in them, but they are just wines that would fill a need I really don’t have.
And, as I also pointed out in my first post, I really don’t have the need for a Nebbiolo that can be drunk earlier either. With the exception of some really great wines, Nebbiolo doesn’t feel that interesting to me when it is young - especially when all the other wonderful Piedmontese varieties can be had at lower prices. Why I’d want a $25 Langhe Nebbiolo that drinks like a $15 Freisa or $10 Dolcetto, but is even less interesting? I know I’m exaggerating a bit here, since there are some great entry-level Nebbiolos that are outrageously good when young and can be really rewarding with age as well. But this is me once again repeating myself, since here is nothing I’ve already said in my OP.
And re: the Bourgogne Rouge comparison - I normally don’t buy Bourgogne Rouge, because you can’t get decent stuff at decent prices. I just look elsewhere for good, affordable Pinot Noir. If I want good Burgundy, I’m willing to spend more. The problem with Nebbiolo is that you really can’t go outside Northern Italy for a solid Nebbiolo.
In reality ‘Roero’ is typically used for flagship bottlings (the best sites, more time aging); the model is aspirational (using only the name of the area, as in Barolo). Hence the higher prices. Some Roero producers with vineyards only in the Roero region certainly make both, perhaps the analogy is a Barolo producer also making Langhe Nebbiolo.
Valmaggiore is a historical sub-zone of Nebbiolo d’Alba with a very good reputation; both Giacosa and I believe Sandrone make named Valmaggiore bottlings.
I really have always loved the giacosa valmaggiore. especially from a price standpoint
Interesting set of notes. Last Spring we visited the Alto Piedmont and spent a lot of time with Cristiano Garella (who is a really interesting dynamic individual who has had an immense impact on the region) at Colombera and Garella and other properties he is involved with either as partner or consultant. We also visited , among others, Massimo Clerico.
I’ve had all the wines from those two producers that you mention here and I have to say I rate them more highly than you have here. I know that Cristiano is particularly proud of the wines he was able to fashion from the near-disastrous 2014 vintage. I have a more optimistic outlook for the future of the 2015s (I bought a few cases) and believe they will come around with a bit of time in the bottle. Neither of my bottles showed the “dullness” that you allude to but neither were open and singing either. The 2014s are fairly slight and very approachable wines, in fact I’ve already consumed my bottles (and I didn’t buy as many as surrounding vintages). A recent bottle of 2012 Lessona was excellent and captivating.
I also have a lot of faith in the Clerico wines after tasting some older vintages and spending an afternoon talking and seeing his vineyards and facility. 2013 is a tightly wound vintage for everyone in the Alto Piedmont, in my experience, and I think that these wines will take a bit longer than most to come around.
To my palate, I would go for an Alto Piedmont wine every time rather than a Nebbiolo d’Alba. I also very much like what vespolina brings to the blends, a little bit more softness and approachability.
Thanks for the notes. I have also now figured out that you are forceberry on CT.
Nice descriptions, but…where is Fara?
I’ll second (or maybe third by now) Oliver’s point. And also am in agreement with what a few folks have said in one way or another: the nature of the Langhe designation makes it tricky. Some Langhe Nebbiolo is actually fruit from Barolo/Barbaresco vineyards and other great sites, but declassified for a variety of reasons:
-shorter skin maceration
-less barrel aging
-younger vines
-quality control on what goes in the top bottlings
I’ll take a Vietti Perbacco or Castello di Verduno Langhe any day while waiting for my cru bottlings to come around!
Sorry Markus Fara DOC was not covered thus no information was included. We tasted various wines from each area listed above.
Tom
Fara is a tiny D.O.C. roughly 10 miles southeast of Gattinara. Wines are Nebbiolo (Spanna) based with smaller amounts of Vespolina and Uva Rara
I agree, price and drinkability. I think the better Nebbiolos from the Roero are ace for both, as long as they don’t try to be Barolo.
Was '14 difficult in Alto Piemonte? I know it was in Barolo, but that was fairly localized, and it wasn’t a bad year in Barbaresco.
I understood that 2014 was a pretty miserable vintage in most parts of Northern Italy and for some reason Barbaresco managed to come through unscathed.
Not in Alto Piemonte, but IIRC for example ArPePe didn’t release anything besides their Valtellina Rosso in 2014, because of the bad vintage.
Yeah, it was wet and grey and cold and usable grapes were scarce. It would have been a complete disaster a generation ago.
I think Aldo Vacca talks about why in his IDTT episode. the timing of Barbaresco’s harvest was just before the worst of the rain, but the fact that Barolo tends to harvest a little bit later means they had a very wet harvest… or something similar to that?
To my understanding, the vintage was pretty cool and rainy after July in most parts of Piedmont. Barbaresco might have avoided some late harvest rains, but the conditions were miserable before that as well - except for in Barbaresco. For example Barolo got quite a bit of hail that year as well, reducing the yield in some parts quite much.
Yes, Barbaresco was spared the hail storms that hit Barolo. As I recall, there were some rain storms earlier (before harvest) that also didn’t hit so hard in Barbaresco. When I was there in 2016, Barbaresco producers considered it a decent year – not just marginally OK.
it was good enough for Produttori Riservas apparently. although I havent gotten to try any of them yet.