2022 Nebbiolo d'Alba, Fletcher, Piedmont, Italy

Fletcher Wines

An Australian winemaker living in Piedmont? Dave Fletcher has been entranced by Nebbiolo since he first tasted Barolo in Australia in 2004. He landed a stage at Ceretto in 2007, joining as their winemaker in 2012. He guided them towards a less oak-dependent style, in favour of finesse and subtlety. He started to make wines under his own label in Barbaresco from the ’09 vintage. In 2014, he and his wife Eleanor bought the old Barbaresco stationmaster’s house in an auction, consequently laying roots in the region.

Situated at the foot of the Martinenga vineyard, close to the great Asili site, the rather dilapidated building came with barrel-vaulted brick cellars under the house. Its restoration continues but its facilities have proved ideal for Dave and the scale of his operation.

Nebbiolo d'Alba

Nebbiolo d’Alba, a historical Italian wine DOC created in 1970, is synonymous with the crunchier Nebbiolo wines of the Roero region, north of the river Tanaro.

This DOC can be applied to all wines lying outside the Langhe region (ie Barolo & Barbaresco), of which the sandier Roero makes up the largest part.

Nebbiolo d’Alba DOC has to be 100 percent Nebbiolo, and must be aged for 12 months prior to release. Notwithstanding the DOC restrictions, several prominent Barolo and Barbaresco producers invested in Roero Nebbiolo vineyards during the 1990s, such as Valmaggiore.

It is not uncommon for Langhe producers to supplement their Langhe Nebbiolo fruit with that bought from the Roero.

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.