Piedmont Part 4- NEBBIOLO
Piedmont- NEBBIOLO
We are visiting the Piedmont region again, exploring more great wines made with the Nebbiolo grape.
Piedmont is in the northwest part of Italy with the Alps being its natural boundary between France. Because of the Alps influence on the soils and climate of Piedmont, Nebbiolo grows and develops very well throughout the entire region and not only in the well-known sites of Barolo or Barbaresco.
Most of the Nebbiolo is grown in Italy is in the Piedmont region with 15% grown in Lombardia, it’s neighbor to the east. We will talk about a very tasty Lombardian Nebbiolo in another installment.
What does Piedmont and Star Trek movies have in common?
In the Piedmont they grow a grape called Nebbiolo. The name comes from the Latin word Nebula, which means “fog”. The Italian word for fog is Nebbia.
Who came first and which is the correct origin is up for debate.
Fog is a common occurrence in Piedmont in the fall around harvest time.
Nebbiolo is a slow ripening grape, and the fog helps the grapes ripen evenly. (notice fog in picture?)
Fog is a good thing for the North Coast of California vineyards, particularly Pinot Noir, as it helps it to develop as well.
So, what does all of this have to do with Star Trek?
In the Star Trek movie, “The Wrath of Khan”, there is a part of the movie where the two spacecrafts enter a fog in space, they fly around each other not knowing where the other is because their instruments and sensors don’t work in the space fog they are flying in. They called it a Nebula.
Nebula and Nebbiolo. Fog. There is the connection.
Back to Nebbiolo the grape. Nebbiolo is only about 10% of the entire production of wine in Piedmont. (Barbara is the largest at 31%)
What it lacks in volume of production, it makes up for in quality & prestige. Nebbiolo is the celebrity of the region, Barolo & Barbaresco (made from Nebbiolo) being some of the most sought after wines in the world.
You can get some great wine values in Nebbiolo without paying the price for the Barolo’s or Barbaresco’s. One area in particular we will focus on is Langhe.
Langhe is an area that encompasses the Barolo and Barbaresco and 14 other DOC & DOCG areas. It is a pretty good size growing region.
Nebbiolo Langhe is generally grapes from younger vines, or perhaps not the premium vineyard sites (they can’t all be the best sites, can they?)
If a producer has too much juice to make their Barolo, they will make a regional Nebbiolo with the extra juice and name it Nebbiolo Langhe DOC.
Keep in mind there will be no extended aging in barrels that is required for Barolo. One year minimum to fulfill the DOC requirements, and then they bottle it and release to the world.
One might think this Nebbiolo Langhe contains sub-par grape quality and thus it doesn’t go into the Barolo. In a bad year, there is that possibility but even sub-par grapes from Barolo are very good quality grapes.
Here is another scenario.
I talked with a producer a few years ago and he said they have access to 12 different cru vineyards. The really good grapes!
When they taste from the different sites, they decide on what sites will be used in the basic Barolo and also in the cru bottlings.
The rest of what doesn’t make the cut is blended, gets a little time to age, and it is bottled and labeled as Nebbiolo Langhe DOC.
I tasted the regular Barolo next to the Nebbiolo Langhe and there wasn’t a lot differences between the two.
Granted, Barolo is better with some extra time in barrels in the cellar than the Nebbiolo Langhe, but for immediate gratification, this is the route to wine pleasure!
If you can’t wait 5 years for the Barolo to mature, then step right up to Nebbiolo Langhe and enjoy today!
Now aging in oak over a period of time, does make a difference on the Nebbiolo grape. You might miss out on some of the complexities of Nebbiolo aged in oak barrels for a few years, but other than that you have a very delicious and affordable wine that could have been a Barolo.
This is the advantage of Nebbiolo Langhe. There are great wines available at a great prices (under $30). Bright dried cherry fruit, lush, smooth and flavorful.
The Langhe region has over 20 different grapes growing and producing wines. French grapes like Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Pinot Noir (Nero in Italian). It’s a great area to grow grapes and make tasty wine.
Nebbiolo in Langhe is solid! All the great attributes of a great wine; balanced fruit and tannins, medium to full bodied, great acid to pair with many different food flavors, and a lovely smooth finish.
It’s kind of deceptive as it looks light in the glass but feels bigger in the mouth.
The other great thing about Nebbiolo Langhe is that they can age in the bottle in your home for many years. This wine is more for immediate consumption but it can sit in the cellar or wine fridge for a few years and only get better.
ROERO DOCG-
Another Nebbiolo based red wine from the Piedmont comes from a smaller region a bit north of the Barolo region, it is known as Roero.
This region produces an excellent white wine called Arneis and I will discuss that in another section.
Nebbiolo thrives in this area and yet the wines here can be overshadowed by the famous neighbors, Barolo & Barbaresco.
Due to the lack of popularity and recognition, these wines tend to be great wine values in comparison.
Roero DOCG Rosso has aging requirements. The law requires 20 months aging of which a minimum of 6 months must be in oak barrels.
They make a RISERVA wine too and the law requires a minimum of 6 months of aging in oak barrels, but total aging is 32 months, another year more than the regular rosso.
Nebbiolo is a grape that can develop more character when aged over time.
It can still maintain the cherry & pomegranate fruit but then takes on this tar, roses, cranberry flavors over time.
The aging also helps in the mellowing of the acids and brings more balance from start to finish.
As with most grapes grown in different places, the Nebbiolo based wines from Roero have their own small nuances that differ from Langhe or the other regions.
My best analogy is bread.
You can buy 4 loaves of wheat bread from 4 different places and each will have the same basic flavor profile of wheat bread but each will have its own nuances based on the recipe of the baker.
The same holds true with wine and in this case, Nebbiolo based wines.
The soils & the terrior provide that great uniqueness without breaking away from the core flavor profile.
GATTINARA DOCG
Here is another wine region farther north of Roero that does an excellent job with the Nebbiolo grape, Gattinara.
There is a shorter growing season this close to the Alps and most of the vineyards face the south to get maximum sun exposure to fully ripen the grapes.
There is some terracing of the vines as you can see from the picture.
These wines must be aged longer before release and have a closer resemblance to Barbaresco in style and taste.
They have body & character but are softer, more fruit in the front palate, and a long, smooth finish.
These wines are gems if you find them on a wine list as they are not mass produced or widely available.
On the average only 44,000 cases are produced each year.
I don’t want to compare these wines to Barolo as they are different and have different attributes.
Let’s just say they are an excellent alternative to Barolo.
Gattinara should be priced about 10% to 15% less than Barolo, but well worth the money if you find one available.
