Wines from Piedmont

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

The white Zero made history as the first Pas Dosé of the Alta Langa. Its pink-coloured brother goes one step further: here it is the Pinot Nero alone that carries the uncompromising philosophy – 100%, without the Chardonnay as an elegant intermediary. What remains is the pure commitment to one grape variety and one terroir. Saignée – the bloodletting. The method betrays Burgundian roots: after destemming and gentle pressing, the must rests on the skins for two to four hours in a nitrogen atmosphere, just long enough to extract that delicate copper colour that shimmers so seductively in the glass. The yield of blossom must is a maximum of 45% – concentration instead of mass. The grapes come from altitudes between 450 and 550 metres, where the calcareous soils of the Alta Langa give the Pinot Nero mineral tension and aromatic depth.

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.

"L'Insieme" is a small but concrete project of eco-solidarity. Just seven winegrowers from the Langhe have come together to support concrete solidarity projects every year with a part of the yield. The members include Elio Altare, Gianfranco Alessandria, Giuliano Corino, Federico Grasso, Giulio e Paolo Morando, Lorenzo Revello and Mauro Veglio. Under the label of the same name (L'Insieme: together, together, together), the wine producers support solidarity projects all over the world with 5.16 euros per bottled wine.

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

Medium ruby colour with a delicate purple rim. Fresh red fruits open up on the nose – raspberry, cherry, redcurrant – accompanied by violets, white pepper and a hint of undergrowth. On the palate, the 2022 is open and supple without losing any depth. The tannins are silky, the acidity harmoniously integrated and a fine minerality keeps the wine taut. The single vineyard contributes its signature here: aromatic clarity and elegant length. SUPERIORE.DE

A Barbera with a closed gaze – as if you were looking into a dark, purple-red depth from which concentrated essences rise. Scarrone Vigna Vecchia comes from vines that are decades old – partly planted around 1918 – in the Scarrone vineyard near Castiglione Falletto. In the cellar, spontaneous fermentation takes place in stainless steel, followed by around 16 months of ageing in predominantly French barriques (proportion new), where intelligent use of wood subtly helps the terroir. The 2021 vintage brought full maturity, dense fruit and clear acidity – the best prerequisites for an expressive but elegant Barbera with Storage potential.

Elena Penna's (London) Dry Gin carries the soul of the Langhe and combines British gin tradition with Piedmontese botanical finesse. Hand-picked alpine herbs from the Langhe hills and the Maritime Alps – juniper from the Maritime Alps, Langhe thyme, coriander, black elderflower, angelica, wild mint, camomile, cassia bark and organic citrus peel from the Ligurian hills – are distilled over a wood fire in two restored 18th century copper stills. The "one-shot" method uses each botanical only once to capture its aromatic essence in the highest purity. No synthetic flavourings, no essential oils, just natural cold filtration through paper filters, which give the gin a delicate yellow hue. The result: intense juniper distillate with balsamic notes, fine herbal flavours and an oily texture that lingers on the palate for a long time – an authentic and complex gin with a Piedmontese soul. 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.

Only 2,500 bottles of the debut vintage were filled. Eós, named after the Greek goddess of dawn, is the result of a selection of the best Erbaluce grapes from our own vineyards on the volcanic porphyry soils of Boca. The grapes were slowly pressed with a vertical press (torchio) without being crushed or destemmed (whole bunch press). The juice was then poured into large Slavonian oak barrels, where it was aged on the lees for a year. This was followed by a further year of refinement in the barrel and in the bottle.

La Court is the centrepiece of the Nizza area and one of the iconic sites of Barbera. On the gentle hills between Castelnuovo Calcea and Mombercelli lie two historic parcels with ideal south and south-west exposure on calcareous marl soil characterised by fine sand inclusions. The vines, some of which are over 50 years old, naturally produce low yields with remarkable concentration. 2021 offered ideal conditions: a warm summer with sufficient temperature differences between day and night, followed by a precise harvest in perfect physiological ripeness. After temperature-controlled fermentation in stainless steel, the wine matures for at least 18 months in 700-litre Liters and large barrels before coming to rest in the bottle.

Briccolina is one of the smallest but most prestigious vineyards in Serralunga d'Alba. The steep slopes and the limestone and clay-rich marl soil give the wines from this parcel a striking, almost architectural structure. The south-east exposure ensures even sunshine and slow ripening, giving the flavours depth and precision. Dense, bright garnet red in colour with ruby reflections. The bouquet is multi-layered: ripe sour cherry, blackcurrant, dried roses, with hints of graphite, liquorice, fine leather and a touch of undergrowth. Powerful on the palate, with pithy, ripe tannins and clear, supporting acidity. The fruit is concentrated but not heavy, embedded in a subtle spiciness and mineral vein. The finish is long, structured and characterised by persistent freshness. A Barolo of rare precision and depth that masterfully reflects the character of the tiny Briccolina vineyard in a great vintage – and has the potential to age for decades. SUPERIORE.DE

Ceretto's entry-level Barbaresco comes from different sites, mostly younger vines from Asili (35%) and the lower part of Bernadot (65%). Bright, elegant ruby red. It has full energy and vivacity and offers excellent persistence and remarkable balance. On the nose, sweet red cherry, mint, pine, liquorice and candied orange peel. Taut and ferruginous on the palate, very juicy, salty, stretches precisely across the tongue, with some pressure, considerable juicy-long finish. After good aeration already impressively accessible when young. SUPERIORE.DE

Oltre il Vallo - a brandy that matures for 24 months in oak casks and 6 months in single malt Scotch whisky casks. It combines the Highlands and Monferrato, as the casks come from the oldest and most renowned distilleries in Scotland: Lagavulin, Caol Ila and Mortlach, which wrote the history of the best Scotch whisky.

It was Domizio Cavazza, director of the Royal School of Viticulture in Alba, who gave Barbaresco its name and its claim to fame in 1894. A wine that was to stand up to the more powerful Barolo – finer, accessible earlier, but no less complex. More than a century later, the roles are clearly divided: Barbaresco stands for the elegant side of Nebbiolo, for finesse instead of power, for fragrance instead of darkness. Prunotto has found his answer to this appellation in a single vineyard: Bric Turot. Five hectares at around 200 metres, with an exposure from south-west to south-east, which gives the hill the shape of a natural amphitheatre. The soil – tortonian limestone and marl with veins of sand, rich in magnesium and manganese – is the same foundation on which Gajas Sorì Tildin stands just a few metres away. Not bad terrain then.

Grappa Riserva Oltre il di Lidia is a refined blend of the marcs of Piedmont's Barbera and Moscato grapes. DiLidia matures in barrels previously used for Marsala production in the Canelli wineries in Sicily. A tradition from the fifties and sixties, preserved and continued by Lidia Canelles and Paolo Berta.

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.

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

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

The MGA Le Coste is located in the heights of Monforte d'Alba, where the rows of vines nestle at 440 metres on south-east facing slopes – a site that Barolo connoisseurs appreciate for its vigour and unmistakable character. The whitish marl soils of this plot of just under one hectare give the Nebbiolo the mineral depth and structural rigour that make Monforte wines so unique. Orlando and Attilio Pecchenino vinify the grapes of this single-vineyard Barolo with the utmost respect for the terroir: temperature-controlled fermentation in steel tanks is followed by an extended maceration of 60 days using the historic method of the sunken cap, before the wine matures for a full 36 months in large oak barrels and cement vats after malolactic fermentation.

Barolo Le Coste di Monforte from the top 2019 vintage is extremely beguiling in the glass. Rose petals, cedar wood, mint, sweet pipe tobacco and blood orange are the first flavours to open up. It is deep and complex on the palate and exceptionally beautiful and harmonious for a young Barolo. Time in the glass brings out its countless nuances. SUPERIORE.DE