2013 Valtellina Superiore, Grumello Buon Consiglio, Riserva, Arpepe, Lombardy, Italy
About this WINE
Nebbiolo
Nebbiolo is the grape behind the Barolo and Barbaresco wines and is hardly ever seen outside the confines of Piedmont. It takes its name from "nebbia" which is Italian for fog, a frequent phenomenon in the region.
A notoriously pernickety grape, it requires sheltered south-facing sites and performs best on the well-drained calcareous marls to the north and south of Alba in the DOCG zones of Barbaresco and Barolo.
Langhe Nebbiolo is effectively the ‘second wine’ of Piedmont’s great Barolo & Barbarescos. This DOC is the only way Langhe producers can declassify their Barolo or Barbaresco fruit or wines to make an early-drinking style. Unlike Nebbiolo d’Alba, Langhe Nebbiolo can be cut with 15% other red indigenous varieties, such as Barbera or Dolcetto.
Nebbiolo flowers early and ripens late, so a long hang time, producing high levels of sugar, acidity and tannins; the challenge being to harvest the fruit with these three elements ripe and in balance. The best Barolos and Barbarescos are perfumed with aromas of tar, rose, mint, chocolate, liquorice and truffles. They age brilliantly and the very best need ten years to show at their best.
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Description
Valtellina is often overlooked in favour of the better-known Nebbiolo wines of Barolo and Barbaresco. But this Alpine style is a true beauty and fans of Northern Italian reds should snap it up. The wine is delicately pale, almost translucent, with soft aromas of fresh cherry, cranberry and mountain strawberries, with a hint of fresh herbs. The traditional Nebbiolo structure is there – firm tannins and bright, racy acidity – but with a lower alcohol than many Barolos (13.5%) and a soft, rippling texture. The producers describe this wine as like “a cello concert with the white noise of the distant glacier”. Fanciful? Perhaps. But this is a wine that inspires poetry.
Drink now to 2028
Barbara Drew MW, Content Officer, Berry Bros. & Rudd (August 2021)
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