2022 Nebbiolo d'Alba, Roé, Renzo Seghesio, Piedmont, Italy
Critics reviews
Renzo Seghesio’s 2022 Langhe Nebbiolo Roè shows Nebbiolo’s youthful charm, starting with its pretty aromas of ripe red berry, eucalyptus and violet. Made with 35% whole berries, aged 30% in tonneaux and the rest in steel, it’s medium-bodied and savory, featuring ripe Marasca cherry, crushed raspberry and licorice accompanied by lithe tannins.
Drink through 2026
Kerin O'Keefe, KerinOKeefe.com (April 2024)
About this WINE
Renzo Seghesio
Renzo Seghesio's family has been producing premium red wines in Monforte d'Alba for over a century, and Renzo has continued this tradition with a focus on exceptional quality. Originally from the Sant'Anna district, the Seghesio family relocated to the town centre in 1968. This shift marked a turning point, as they transitioned from grape growers to full-fledged winemakers.
Renzo's talents extend far beyond the winery. He studied winemaking in Alba and holds a surprising degree in biology from the University of Turin. His diverse skillset even includes cartography, and he served a term as the former mayor of Monforte d'Alba.
Despite his various accomplishments, Renzo's true passion lies in the vineyard. He meticulously manages his family's holdings, with a particular focus on the famed Pajana della Ginestra vineyard in Monforte d'Alba. Since the 1960s, Renzo has significantly expanded his winery's reach. Production now exceeds 70,000 bottles annually, sourced from over 14 hectares of vineyards. He has also acquired land in La Morra and the Roero appellation, allowing him to experiment with grape varietals like Nebbiolo, Barbera, and Arneis.
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.
When is a wine ready to drink?
We provide drinking windows for all our wines. Alongside the drinking windows there is a bottle icon and a maturity stage. Bear in mind that the best time to drink a wine does also depend on your taste.
Not ready
These wines are very young. Whilst they're likely to have lots of intense flavours, their acidity or tannins may make them feel austere. Although it isn't "wrong" to drink these wines now, you are likely to miss out on a lot of complexity by not waiting for them to mature.
Ready - youthful
These wines are likely to have plenty of fruit flavours still and, for red wines, the tannins may well be quite noticeable. For those who prefer younger, fruitier wines, or if serving alongside a robust meal, these will be very enjoyable. If you choose to hold onto these wines, the fruit flavours will evolve into more savoury complexity.
Ready - at best
These wines are likely to have a beautiful balance of fruit, spice and savoury flavours. The acidity and tannins will have softened somewhat, and the wines will show plenty of complexity. For many, this is seen as the ideal time to drink and enjoy these wines. If you choose to hold onto these wines, they will become more savoury but not necessarily more complex.
Ready - mature
These wines are likely to have plenty of complexity, but the fruit flavours will have been almost completely replaced by savoury and spice notes. These wines may have a beautiful texture at this stage of maturity. There is lots to enjoy when drinking wines at this stage. Most of these wines will hold in this window for a few years, though at the very end of this drinking window, wines start to lose complexity and decline.
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Description
The fruit for Roè comes from sandy soils in Sanche, in Roero. Like Seghesio’s Ruri, fermentation temperatures are kept low, but maturation here is a combination of 30% tonneau and 70% stainless steel – therefore even more energetic and fresh. On the palate, there are flavours of elegant, crushed raspberry and cranberry, with bright touches of warming spice.
Drink 2024 – 2031
Berry Bros. & Rudd
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