Nebbiolo grape variety

Albe! ... the poetic name of this Barolo refers to the sky at sunrise, as experienced by the various terroirs of the estate: Coste di Vergne, Fossati and La Volta. These high-altitude sites each produce slightly different dawns, which is symbolically reflected in the harmony of the cuvée. The grapes come from young but ripe Nebbiolo vines and combine the nuances of each parcel to create a flowing, elegant expression. The grapes were carefully harvested by hand, each parcel was vinified separately and only combined into a cuvée in the spring before bottling. The wine is matured for around 36 months in large Slavonian oak barrels (40–75 hl) with annual racking – a maturation that allows for depth and harmony.

When you say Nebbiolo, you think of Piedmont. Of Barolo and Barbaresco, of decades in barrels, of tannins that need more time than almost any other variety. This image is correct – and yet incomplete. Nebbiolo was already in the Aosta Valley long before anyone started marketing it. Here it has a different name: Picotendro. And it does not grow on the famous hills of the Langhe, but in the glacial Fondovalle of Arnad and Issogne – in an alluvial riverbed formed by glaciers, on silty-sandy sedimentary soils, 350 metres above sea level, between north-west and south-east exposures.

A Riserva that only comes into being when the year allows it – and which makes a promise with its name: Essenze stands for the essence of the grape variety, the terroir and the time. The grapes come exclusively from the best cru sites in the municipalities of Barolo, Monforte, Serralunga, La Morra and Castiglione Falletto. Each parcel is vinified separately, carefully monitored, matured – and finally composed like a mosaic. The result: a Riserva Barolo that does not need to be loud to radiate authority. It is only bottled in exceptional years such as 2015 – after more than 42 months of ageing in large barrels and barriques.

In the Barolo world, Serralunga d'Alba stands for strength, depth and remarkable longevity. The Nebbiolo grapes come from selected plots in the municipality, characterised by barren, iron-rich clay-marl soils with veins of sand from the Helvetic formation. These soils give the wines their characteristic tannic structure, while the altitude of 320 to 400 metres ensures cool nights and slow, even ripening. The 2021 vintage provided ideal conditions. Sunny, clear days and fresh nights harmonised fruit precision and aromatic depth. Each parcel was harvested separately, gently fermented and then matured for around 30 months in large Slavonian oak barrels to preserve the typicality of the terroir while developing supple, multi-layered tannins.

The vineyards of the Reyna site in the hills of Neive and Barbaresco benefit from an ideal south-east to south-west exposure and reddish limestone marl, which is loosened up by sandy inclusions. The grapes are deliberately harvested late in order to achieve optimum physiological ripeness. After fermentation in stainless steel tanks, the wine matures for around 18 months in large Allier and Slavonian oak barrels, followed by a resting period in the bottle. The 2021 vintage was characterised by a warm, stable summer and cool nights during the ageing phase, which ensured impressive aromatic precision and a taut structure.

"This is a project with which I am still celebrating the beginning of my adventure as a winemaker, which is why this Riserva bears my name. Valgella is the region where my exciting journey began, and this wine not only bears my signature, but also pays tribute to the steep slopes from which we have wrested its fruit with its elegant shyness."

Prunotto's Barolo is a very beautiful, ethereal wine. Rose petals, spices, blood orange, mint and crushed red berry fruit keep it firmly grounded. On the palate, it is saturated and rich with dark flavours that are firmly connected to spices, liquorice and crushed blue flowers. There is power and richness deep within this wine, the well-proportioned tannin is fresh and firm, giving it energy and drive. SUPERIORE.DE

The Brunate vineyard, located between La Morra and Barolo, is considered one of the region's great Grand Cru. The combination of calcareous marl soils, optimal south to south-east exposure and the altitude gives the wine a fine interplay of ripe fruit, spicy depth and silky-textured tannin structure. The 2016 vintage produced wines of rare harmony in the Barolo region: a cool spring, balanced summer weeks and a long, golden autumn created conditions in which Nebbiolo could mature slowly. The result is wines of precision, depth and longevity.

A historic Barolo from the estate (first produced in 1905!), composed from Nebbiolo parcels in the heart of the appellation. The grapes are selectively harvested by hand, the lots are carefully destemmed and fermented; maceration takes around eight days at moderate temperatures and malolactic fermentation is completed before the onset of winter. The wine then matures for at least 18 months in large oak barrels of various sizes – an ageing process that preserves balance, transparency and expression of origin. The 2021 vintage began with a mild winter and abundant rainfall, which created valuable water reserves. A light frost in mid-April reduced the yields, but without affecting the quality. This was followed by a long, stable summer without heat peaks; scattered thunderstorms in June/July and pronounced day/night amplitudes during the ripening phase ensured a precise harvest from 6 to 15 October. The grapes achieved excellent phenolic ripeness with bright acidity.

Il Favot bears the name of the estate that Aldo acquired in 1969: "Cascina Favot" in Bussia. It is the only wine in the portfolio that is named after the family estate, and this naming reveals the Conternos' personal attachment to this Nebbiolo. But why not call it Barolo? After all, the grapes come from the same legendary Bussia vineyards that produce Bussia and Granbussia. The answer lies in the age: Il Favot is made exclusively from vines under 15 years of age – the young vines that will one day produce the great Barolo. A baby Barolo with pedigree. The vinification is deliberately designed for earlier drinking maturity: only six to eight days of maceration to extract less tannin and more colour, followed by a few months in stainless steel tanks. The wine is then aged for 15 to 18 months in new French Allier barriques – an unusually opulent treatment for a Langhe Nebbiolo, which gives the wine depth and structure. Aldo Conterno once said: "Vanilla, toast and spice do not belong in Barolo." But in Il Favot? Please, with pleasure.

Tortoniano Barolo is a blend of Nebbiolo, 50% of which comes from the Cerequio vineyard, the other half from other plots, including some plantings in the Novello commune. It combines the complexity and nuances of the Nebbiolo grape with a fruit-driven and engaging personality. The aromatic bouquet shows hints of sweetness and richness with a potpourri of blackberries, summer cherries and spices. On the palate it is powerful and immediate, the tannins are clear and tangible. Will continue to develop towards perfection, elegance and finesse over the next few years. SUPERIORE.DE

In the gentle hills of Neive, where the Bordini family cultivated their vines for over three hundred years, Giorgio Rivetti has been writing a new chapter in Piedmontese wine history since 2006. When the last scion of the Bordini dynasty sold his 4.5-hectare estate, the visionary winemaker of La Spinetta immediately recognised the extraordinary potential of this site. At an altitude of 240 metres, facing south-east, where calcareous marl meets sandy soils, forty-year-old Nebbiolo vines now thrive according to organic principles – without herbicides or pesticides, in harmony with nature. The Bordini was originally intended as Giorgio's basic Barbaresco, but the grapes revealed such exceptional quality that one of the most elegant representatives of the region was created. The particularly sandy soil composition gives this wine the lightness and aromatic delicacy that distinguishes it from heavier Barbaresco wines.

The parcels of La Tartufaia lie between the historic Barolo slopes of La Morra and the forests where white truffles are foraged in autumn. The soil of calcareous marl mixed with fine layers of sand gives this Nebbiolo a delicate flavour and silky structure. Giulia Negri cultivates the vineyard in a natural way, working with spontaneous fermentation and careful ageing for around 30 months in medium-sized wooden barrels to bring the terroir unadulterated into the glass. The 2021 vintage provided a perfect balance of ripe fruit and fresh acidity.

As always, Castiglione is mainly based on grapes from Ravera, with smaller portions from Ginestra, Mosconi, Bricco Ravera (in Monforte), Le Coste, Costabelle, Meriame, Briccolina and Codana. Every year it is a dazzling wine that shows how convincing even an "entry-level wine" from a top producer can be. Rich, voluptuous and explosive, it has enormous fullness and resonance from the very first sip. On the nose, bright red cherry and plum fruit, wild flowers, mint, blood orange and spices. Its silky tannins are accompanied by a beautiful, mentholated brightness. A real charmer! SUPERIORE.DE

Tulin is a wine that looks in two directions – on the one hand deeply rooted in the single vineyard of the same name directly below the winery in Treiso, and on the other hand an expression of a modern, consciously contoured interpretation of Barbaresco. The wine comes from a south and south-west facing steep slope on calcareous marl soil, interspersed with layers of blue clay – a terroir that produces structure, precision and clarity. In the great Pelissero canon, Tulin stands for finesse with a backbone. The vines are over 50 years old and produce concentrated, but never exuberant harvest. The wine is matured for around 20 months in tonneaux and large barrels – not for effect, but for balance. Vinification is carried out with open mash fermentation and a great deal of patience in the cellar; the use of wood is deliberately minimised.

With further bottle ageing, this Barbaresco tends to be softer and more open, with soft tannins and a broad palate, thanks to the microclimate created by the cru's proximity to the Tanaro river.

A Barbaresco with a lot of personality, in which body and tannin structure are well balanced by floral scents of undergrowth, mint and eucalyptus.

The youngest of the Produttori cru wines, which saw the light of day in 1978. The palate reveals ripe, silky fruit and an important structure.

Brilliant and vertical, it retains its characteristic floral note and the freshness of the fruit typical of the terroir.

As always, Vietti's outrageously priced "entry-level" Barolo (formerly Castiglione) is based mainly on grapes from Ravera, with smaller portions from Ginestra, Mosconi, Bricco Ravera (in Monforte), Le Coste, Costabelle, Meriame, Briccolina and Codana. Ruby red colour of medium intensity. The nose is explosive, opulent, persuasive and immediate. Notes of plum, red and ripe black cherry, black cherry, rose petals and tobacco are perceptible. The palate is classic, rich, powerful, with notes of alpine herbs and a leathery finish. The tannin is already well integrated. Especially in the peak year 2021, this wine is an absolute insider tip in the winery's incredibly terrificBarolo line-up every year, and not just because of its price. SUPERIORE.DE