Nebbiolo

One of the great Nebbiolos made from grapes grown in the Langhe hills in Piemonte, whose name means foot of the mountains and aptly represents the sometimes very cool climate in this otherwise warm growing region. This wine offers outstanding value and highlights the delicious line of flavour that characterises the Nebbiolo grape. Red fruit and vibrant acidity balance the surprisingly staunch tannin structure of the wine. It's made by Produttori del Barbaresco, which was founded in 1958 and now has 51 members who collectively own approximately 100 hectares of the entire appellation (itself nearly 700 hectares).

This wine is 100% Nebbiolo grown on various vineyards in within the appellation and fermented in concrete tanks at 28?C with 20 days on the skins, pumping over twice a day and five months in large oak barrels. It's a shorter and slightly cooler fermentation than the single vineyard wines receive which results in a smoother, softer, more approachable wine in its youth. It drinks well now and can age for up to five years.

This is a stellar wine from one of Piemonte's great producers, the Gaja family, which bought two vineyards in Barolo 1995 from a family named Gromi. The name of the wine, Da Gromis, is Italian for 'at home with the Gromis family'. This wine is made from two vineyards, one in Serralunga and one in La Morra. Grapes from each are fermented separately then aged for 12 months in oak, then blended and aged for a further 18 months in large oak.

Deep, savory and wonderfully complex, Margheria Barolo offers up a compelling mix of red/purplish fruit, sage, menthol, licorice, dried flowers, graphite and melted road tar. Muscular tannins wrap it all together. The 2019 vintage is a dark and  impressive wine from one of the world's greatest wine regions, Piemonte in north west Italy. 

What the critics say...
?A shade deeper than their classic Barolo of the same vintage. Serious and notably deep, peppery nose with savoury, minerally notes but still a little closed on the fruit.With aeration it?s more aromatic and fruit-driven, with raspberry notes. Cool climate in character. Juicy and energetic on the palate with firm muscular structure that demands more time. Drink 2027-2042?

Designation: Barolo D.O.C.G.

Grape Variety: Nebbiolo (100%)

Vineyard: The grapes for this wine are sourced from the single vineyard Lazzarito in Serralunga d’Alba. Lazzarito is a wonderful natural amphitheater facing southwest, at an altitude of 260 – 390 meters a.s.l., with a clayey and calcareous soil. Vietti’s property in this vineyard stretches for about 2 hectares. The grapevines have an average age of 40 years. They are planted using the Guyot trellis system with about 4,500 plants per hectare.

Winemaking: Hand-picked on September 29th, 2018, the grapes have been destemmed and gently crushed before bringing them into stainless steel tanks for the alcoholic fermentation. They have spent about four weeks in contact with their skins. This time includes the pre- and post-fermentation maceration, using the traditional submerged cap method. Malolactic fermentation takes place in wood.

Ageing: The wine has been aged for 30 months in large oak casks and, only a small amount, in barriques. It was bottled without filtration.

Description: Deep ruby red colour with garnet nuances. Fascinating and deep on the nose. Notes of hay, cut grass, tobacco, white pepper and a hint of mint. Robust, muscular on the palate, with a taut and mineral finish. The tannins are typical of Serralunga: angular, austere and very deep. Appealing long lingering sweetness on the finish.

Food pairings: Game, red meats, seasoned cheeses.

100% Nebbiolo from the commune of Castiglione Falletto where the vines have an average age of between 35 to 50 years and grow at an altitude of 250 to 300 metres on calcareous marl soils facing south west. Vinification is in stainless steel and aging in traditional oak casks. 

97 points Jeb Dunnuck

"From the southwest facing amphitheater of Lazzarito in Serralunga d’Alba the 2017 Barolo Lazzarito was aged for 30 months in a combination of large oak casks and barrique. The nose is layered with elegant spice and floral notes of cedar, red plum, and brushed leather. There is incredible balance within its structure, which has deceptive ease for early drinking. Hold 3-5 years or drink 2023-2046."

96 points James Suckling

"This is very chewy and powerful with lots of velvety tannins that are firm and intense. It’s full and flavorful with strawberries and tar. Bark undertones. Flavorful finish. Needs time to soften. Try after 2024."

95 points Vinous, Antonio Galloni

"Vietti's 2017 Barolo Lazzarito is absolutely gorgeous. Whatever the challenges of the growing season, they appear to have been no problem here. More than anything else, the Lazzarito impresses with its magnificent depth and stature. Super-ripe red fruit, white pepper, mint, tobacco, cured meat, spice and rose petal open gradually with time in the glass. I would not be in a rush to open bottles anytime soon. The Lazzarito has been one of the most improved wines at Vietti for a number of years. The 2017 is so captivating." Drink 2025 - 2042

95/100 Wine Enthusiast, Kerin O'Keefe

"Underbrush, camphor, cedar and mature dark-skinned fruit aromas come to the forefront along with spicy notes. Full-bodied and firmly structured but also boasting a surprising weightlessness, the palate features dried cherry, steeped prune, licorice and tobacco set against a firm backbone of tightly knit, close-grained tannins. It's still youthfully austere so give it time to fully develop. Drink 2027?2037. " Drink 2027 - 2037

94+/100 Parker's wine Advocate, Monica Larner

"Considering the untimely passing of Renato Vacca in March of 2020, there is a lot of emotion coming back to this wine: It has always been an expression of Barbaresco nostalgia and romanticism, even when its creator was alive and well, working in these vines located directly under his family house. The Cantina del Pino 2017 Barbaresco Ovello bears his winemaking imprint with balance and elegance that never misses a beat. This vintage offers more density and concentration for sure, and the positioning of the Ovello cru overlooking the Tanaro River Valley sets the wine up for open-knit characteristics and suave softness. Those impressions are amplified in this vintage but are not overblown. Some 6,000 bottles were released and you get terrific value in this bottle. The wine is set to hit the market in September 2021." Drink 2023 - 2038

94/100 Vinous, Antonio Galloni

"The 2017 Barbaresco Ovello is a superb effort for the year. Bright, aromatic and effusive, the 2017 is so expressive right out of the bottle. It has the vintage 2017 power found in all the wines here, but also the cut and verve that make Ovello one of the most distinctive sites in all of Barbaresco. It is such a gorgeous wine." Drink 2025 - 2037

Winery notes  from 2019 Vintage

"Made of 100% Nebbiolo grapes grown in the hills overlooking Barbaresco, this wine delivers a delicate perfume reminiscent of dark cherry and black pepper with a hint of tobacco from a fine cigar. Elegant and fully ripe it has a wonderful structure and balance. Aged for two years in the oak and one year in the bottle, this wine is as good now as it will be aged for many years."

Barolo Chinato is a fortified wine which was traditionally drunk for medicinal purposes to guard against fevers and stomach upsets, but also gifted as a sign of hospitality. Today it is more commonly used as a digestif and is a wonderful way to round off a meal, as well as being unbeatable with dark chocolate. Cocchi's Barolo Chinato still follows the traditional recipe: Barolo DOCG wine (100% Nebbiolo) is infused with the bark of the Calissaja Quinine tree, rhubarb roots and cardamom seeds as well as a secret blend of herbs and spices before being laid down for lengthy maturation. The first thing you notice is the complexity, your nose picking up bitter and honeyed characteristics at the same time. Roasted orange peel, cloves, cherries, eucalyptus and dried figs are all present. These flavors evolve on the palate into a battle of bitter versus sweet characters that coat your tongue; rhubarb, date, sultana, cloves, Five Spice and orange bitters are all present to give a lovely warm mouthfeel. An incredibly long, intense finish that is both dry and sweet and will leave your mouth watering for more. 50cl, ABV 16,5% Serving Temperature 16-18? Source: www.cocchi.it

Outstanding new vintage 2019 Barolo from a classic producer. Giacomo Fenocchio has a reputation for producing classic traditional Barolo with traditional long maceration times, of up to 40 days on skins with natural indigenous yeasts. 

The result is a group of stellar Barolos that can age for between 10 to 20 years in good cellaring conditions and which offer exceptional value for money. The style is savoury all the way from the clean, fresh, earthy note to the rich mushroom, truffle, tar and roses notes that typifies great Barolo. This wine punches above its weight for its price and will age gracefully.

Get in quick to secure a bottle of this supremely age worthy, full bodied and beautifully savoury Barbaresco from one of the great wineries in Italy, the Produttori del Barbaresco - a high quality cooperative winery that is devoted entirely and only to the Nebbiolo grape. This is a great addition to the wine cellar or as a gift for the wine lover in your life.

Produttori del Barbaresco was founded in 1958 and now has 51 members who collectively own approximately 100 hectares of the entire appellation (itself nearly 700 hectares). This wine is a blend from various vineyards in the Barbaresco DOCG's limestone and clay soils, which are rich in calcium with sandy veins. 

This wine was fermented in stainless steel tanks with 30 days on skins at 28C (slightly lower temperature and slightly less skin contact than the single vineyard wines). It was pumped over two to three times daily and aged for 24 months in large oak casks then bottled; as opposed to the standard 36 months in oak and a further nine months in bottle that the single vineyard wines receive, prior to release.

Barbaresco is now seen as being on a par with Barolo, as it should be, and this is a great example. The Rocca family originates in Barbaresco and Bruno Rocca took over the family business when his father died in 1978, moving quality up several notches to ensure that everything made by the family would be produced in bottle.

The family owns 15 hectares of vines and Bruno has something of a reputation for being a modernist, opting for French oak and shorter maturation times of 12 to 16 months. 

The wines retain their distinctive stylistic Italianesque stature, as this beautiful Barbaresco shows. 

Pio Cesare is one of Piemonte's greatest wine producers, founded in 1881 by Cesare Pio in the town of Alba. His aim was to champion wines that expressed the soils, climate and great Nebbiolo grape of this great north west Italian wine region. 

"Please don’t call it regular" says the front label of this great Barolo, which highlights the power and elegance of this highly revered grape; Italy's finest red variety. Aromas of truffles are beautifully enveloped by the structure of big grainy tannins and high but balanced acidity. This is a beautiful wine from a classic producer.