Seeking Nebbiolo

I am a big lover of Nebbiolo from Northern Italy, and I’m hoping for some advice about how to proceed. Yesterday I popped the cork on a bottle that I was very excited about: 1995 Giacomo Conterno Cascina Francia. It’s the most expensive Barolo I’ve ever had, and the producer, of course, came with high expectations. And while it was very good, it was not in the style that characterize my favorite Nebbiolo experiences. What I love are those wines that are light, transparent, the word that comes to mind is ethereal. The Conterno was a bit too heavy handed and blocky for me. I realize 95 isn’t the greatest vintage ever, and that might be a factor, but I think it comes down to overall style of the wine.

My favorite Nebbiolos ever have been 1982 Cordero di Montezemolo Barolo Monfalletto, 1967 Franco Fiorina Barolo, and 1971 Renato Ratti. Clearly, age has something to do with it. But I recently had a 2004 Cantina del Pino Barbaresco Ovello, that was also fantastic and much more in line with the wines mentioned here than the Conterno. I’ve had quite a few wines from the Alto Piemonte as well, and while good, none have blown my socks off.

So, I know the type of wine I like, but I feel like I’m stabbing around in the dark. CT reviews are sort of helpful, but I don’t even know where to start. Given my preferences, what would you all recommend I look for? Any specific producers? Wines with a particular amount age? If so, how old- I’ve also had quite a few old over the hill duds. I’m trying to stick to ready-to-drink wines instead of cellaring, at least while live in a modest one bedroom apartment. Any specific vineyards? Thanks for any help!

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You might try Nebbiolo from the Alps … Valtellina. More red fruited, herbal and floral. Finesse over power. More treble than bass. More ethereal, per your request.

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I think I know what you mean. Conterno is from Serralunga d’Alba, home of some of the biggest Baroli, along with Montforte d’Alba. For lighter, more transparent Barolo, I focus on La Morra and Verduno. Barbaresco in general will also give you lighter wines depending on vineyard. Taking PdB as an example, Montestefano can be huge and Pora or Rio Sordo can be fairly delicate. And the zone of Neive can make some really big wines. You can also just look for Nebbiolo d’Alba which is made in a lighter style. Finally, Ghemme, Gattinara, Coste Della Sesia. and Colline Novaresi in Alto Piedmont can all turn out really nice Nebbiolo. Keep in mind that many of the wines of Alto Piedmont are not 100% Nebbiolo. Boca, Bramaterra, and Lessona will all have up to 30% blends of other local grapes.

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Here are a few wines that might fit the bill:

Vajra Bricco delle Viole
Burlotto (any)
Elvio Cogno Ravera
Elio Sandri

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The producer whose wines fit this description the closest are Bruno Giacosa pre 2008. His Riserva “Red Label” bottlings are life changing. Of course backfilling these wines is an expensive endeavor. IMO the producer that continually makes this ethereal, weightless style of wine today and you don’t need to refinance your home to afford is Brovia. Certainly not inexpensive, but doable. The “Rocche” bottling is a must buy, but all of their Crus are very very good. Vajra and Sandri are good suggestions from above. I would add Massolino to that list as well.

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+1 for the Ravera vineyard, older vintages of Cogno’s Vigna Elena are not impossible to find, and the Vajras are easy to find going back to 2012. Try the 2016 Cogno Ravera, and the Vajra for kicks, obviously very young but I think the former is an incredible wine and both are “ethereal” to me. Looking to Verduno isn’t a bad idea either, Burlotto would be difficult to backfill but older Alessandria San Lorenzo not so much.

1995 is a very good but dark and stern vintage, which might account for some of your disappointment. A vintage like 2001 is much lighter and more elegant, somewhat due to a slow, stylistic drift, but also due to the vintage.

Some less known producers to watch out for would include Guilia Negri, and Cascina delle Rose in Barbaresco. Barbaresco might be a richer target for you, the wines tend to be less in your face, though that is changing slightly. Also Roero can be happy hunting grounds for these types of wines.

David Sawyer’s list is a great place to start.

Another option to consider are the Barolo Classico level of wine, of which the best tend to pursue a less is more strategy to a certain extent. They often get less respect because we value site specificity so much, but they are just as good, if cut from a different cloth. I like the wines from Oddero, Massolino, Fratelli Alessandria, Trediberri, and Vietti and they all fit your criteria. Prunotto as well.

Other Barolo producers to try would include

Francesco Rinaldi, Cascina Fontana, and Ferdinando Principiano.

I know we discussed opening some bottles together, I have a few bottles of Barolo and we could explore some of these options.

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Aosta, Northern Piedmont and Valtellina are well worth exploring… you will pay less and may get wines closer to your ideal. As noted, many of the Northern Piedmont reds are mostly Nebbiolo, blended with local grapes.

Donnaz

Carema
Gattinara
Ghemme
also from Northern Piedmont Boca, Fara, Lessona, Bramaterra

Valtellina is an Appellation, along with the triplets of Grumello, Sassella and Inferno. These sometimes come in late-harvest, more concentrated versions known as Sfursat or Sforzato, which are emphatically NOT what you are looking for.

Thanks for posting.

Dan Kravitz

My first thought as well. Specifically, try to track down an AR.PE.PE Sassella Riserva Rocce Rosse. I recently had the 2013 which was just entering its drinking window. Another board user recently posted a very encouraging note for the 2002, which is available on WS.

When I first saw the title, I was immediately thinking of Cantina del Pino which I have been drinking more and more of. Also a big fan of A. Fratelli which as mentioned above and would fit your description. I also live in CT so if you need some place to store wine, I would be happy to help [cheers.gif] I swear it would still be there when you were looking to drink it!!

Where in CT? I have communicated with Noah about possibly getting together in CT for a tasting. I’m just north of Danbury and happy to host!

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The Proprieta Sperino Uvaggio (Costa della Sesia) may be a good option and is usually around $35. There’s a bit of modern finesse and it generally aligns as a great restaurant by-the-glass wine. The 2016 certainly has structure to age, but even then I find a lot of open, elegant Nebbiolo character.

It’s a different beast than Barolo, as the density and dry extract are lower, yet doesn’t come across as lean or tart in the vintages I’ve tried. I do think the house style (Sperino is run by the De Marchi family of Isole e Olena fame) leans towards a rounder style than I usually find in Ghemme, Carema, Gattinara and the other Alto Piedmont communes.

Sperino has a Lessona that’s pricier and I haven’t tasted, though I’d wager is worth the tariff in strong vintages if allowed to develop.

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Burlotto’s a good call, but to really be impressed you need the Monvigliero, and it’s no longer obtainable at reasonable prices. I am surprised no one has mentioned Bartolo Mascarello or Giuseppe Mascarello Monprivato, especially the latter. These seem like the style and quality level you’re looking for. Some of the other great Barolos that have been mentioned don’t seem to me to be the style you’re describing, even though I love them. Vintage can be important, though. The classic vintages tend not to be warm vintages, which is probably good for what you’re looking for.

I get not being impressed by most wines from the Alto Piemonte. If you haven’t had the ArPePe Riservas, I do recommend those. They’re pricey, but not unreasonable for the quality, IMO.

this might be a useful thread for you to look through, while “floral” and “ethereal” arent always exactly the same in the world of Baroli, its a good start:

I also would have to echo what others have said about being commune and location specific. serralunga baroli will probably be a little bigger than you are looking for, while other communes (like mentioned, la morra and verduno, but i also think of Castioglione as well) will be more ethereal. also, heading north towards the alps will often get you in that realm.

For producers of Barolo and Barbaresco I would consider:
G. Mascarello
Burlotto
Roagna

Even their Langhe nebbiolo will give you a very good indication of this weightless style.

Some less pricey alternatives could be:
Cortese
La Ca Nova
F. Rinaldi
Trediberri

Given your preference for ready to drink, then I’d recommend continuing as you have done, taking your chances on older bottles. I say this not just for the age, but also for differences in how wines were made / clones used in the vineyards back in the 1970s through to today. Ian D’Agata has given good commentary on this in his native grapes of Italy book (strongly recommended).

FWIW I do like the wines of Ghemme and Gattinara, and on the whole these are lighter hued (and leaner/bonier), though in the case of the former, that may be in part to other grapes in the blend.



I would be interested as well. I’m up in the Hartford area, but would be willing to travel.

Great. let’s see what we can do!

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Noah,

Based on what you’ve shared I would say that there are a handful of producers that are worth your attention in Barolo, but I would also look toward Barbaresco & Gattenara.

For Barolo I would look toward the following producers, in this order.

G. Mascarello
B. Mascarello
Roagna
B. Giacosa
Burlotto

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