Nebbiolo is the king maker in Piemonte. Its most famous expression, the wines of Barolo, is indeed noted as the ‘King of Wines and Wine of Kings’ thanks to its history adorning the tables of the House of Savoy at its court in Torino.
It is a notoriously tough grape variety to grow, budding early to risk those dreaded spring frosts and ripening so late that its name is thought to derive from the November fogs (nebbia) that used to hover over grape pickers in yesteryear. But get lucky with the vintage and make those high levels of tannins work for you, then you’ve got one of the most elegant, flavourful and expressive varieties in the world.
It's often said that Nebbiolo hasn’t travelled well outside of Italy. I think that’s unfair. I’ve tried some really good examples being made in Australia, South Africa and California. What I will concede is that they’re different in style to any of the Piemontese options available to us, and I guess if you’ve got customers who order from a wine list then it needs to taste a certain way.
Well luckily, even within Piemonte, there are several expressions being made, and at varying price points, that give that unmistakable ‘Nebbiolo factor'.
Giovanni Minetti
During my recent trip to Piemonte I was fortunate enough to visit Giovanni Minetti, President of Tenuta Carretta, a producer whose winery, hotel and stunning restaurant are based just outside of Alba. Its portfolio boasts all notable Piemontese versions of Nebbiolo, each with their own unique selling point to warrant a place on any wine list. No matter where the space arises, there is a Piemontese Nebbiolo that fits a price bracket and delivers the goods.
Nebbiolo Metodo Classico
Tenuta Carretta, Cuvée San Rocco, Brut Rosé 2020
“Nebbiolo is both the King and Queen of wines,” corrected Minetti. “It’s very adaptable!” Nowhere is that more in evidence than with the increasing number of top class varietal Metodo Classico wines that are being made. And it makes sense. Nebbiolo offers great levels of elegant aromas, and super high acidity all the way into September on the vine, making it a perfect variety for both Blanc De Noirs and rosé sparkling wines.
This wine from Tenuta Carretta was originally destined to be a blend of the green harvest cuttings from its Cannubi (Barolo) and San Rocco (Alba) vineyards. The fruit now comes solely from San Rocco, with the wine spending 18 months on the lees after second fermentation, leaving a beautifully balanced, fruity and floral wine. In a sentiment echoed by Minetti himself, it can’t hurt sales to have the link to Barolo’s famous grape!
Langhe Nebbiolo DOC
Tenuta Carretta, Podio 2021
Langhe Nebbiolo is one of those perfect options for any wine list. The word Nebbiolo attracts the attention of those gazing over the menu, and the price (hopefully) doesn’t scare too many away. In fact, many producers from Barolo and Barbaresco use Langhe Nebbiolo as the entry point into their portfolios, and those from outside these two regions use it to show off what they can do with this prized grape variety.
These wines come from outside the designated zones reserved for the pricier expressions and are usually much softer, fruitier and easier drinking even just a couple of years after harvest.
Carretta’s Podio is named after the ancient vineyard that overlooks its winery, from where these grapes come from. There is a document from 1467 stating that labourers who worked the lands for the local lord would get given a house and half of the grapes they produced… except the Podio vineyard, where the lord took it all! Juicy, fresh, really light, just 6 months in a large tonneaux before bottling, Minetti revealed he likes this chilled down for a summer glass on the terrace.
Roero DOCG
Tenuta Carretta, Bric Paradiso Riserva 2017
The Roero and Langhe regions are divided by the Tanaro River, with Roero sitting to the north. It’s thought that the Roero emerged from under the sea about one million years later than the Langhe, which explains the sandier soils in the northern region. Its most famous grape is Arneis, producing the finest wines from this native white grape. But, increasingly, selected plots are being planted out with Nebbiolo.
Although still by far the least produced style of Nebbiolo (except Metodo Classico) at about a tenth of the production volumes of Langhe Nebbiolo, the sandier soils at lower altitudes produce a wine with softer tannins but riper flavours.
Carretta’s Bric Paradiso showed off the typical traits of Roero; elegance and drinkability. They chose to make their Roero in the Riserva style, with extended 18 -month ageing in large oak tonneaux, followed by a year in the bottle, to ensure the tannins are perfectly integrated and the structure is subtle, taking a back seat to the idea of finesse, with pronounced rose petal, liquorice and cracked black pepper on top of the lush red fruits.
Nebbiolo D’Alba DOC
Nebbiolo D’Alba Superiore, Tavoleto 2020
The vineyards in and around the town of Alba nearly always give their best spots to Nebbiolo, given the fame and potential of the grape. It’s local knowledge that – in the best years and in the best hands – a good Nebbiolo D’Alba can rival even the distinguished wines of Barolo and Barbaresco. In general, however, it’s often a fine but ultimately softer and less long-lived version of its brothers and sisters from more famous climbs.
Carretta’s Tavoleto sources fruit from the San Rocco vineyard in Alba. After fermentation the wine spends 12 months in oak, with 50% going into tonneaux and the other 50% going into its prized Stockinger barrels. Although not commanding the prices of other wines in the portfolio, the team were more than happy to stump up for the prestigious barrels to progress their Nebbiolo D’Alba.
“It’s important to focus on the second price level,” explained Minetti, “after all, customers buy more of it.” Spicy, floral, grippy, but still perfectly fresh fruit and ripe balsamic notes, maybe not one for decades in the cellar, but still very classy.
Barbaresco DOCG
Cascina Bordino Riserva 2017
Barbaresco, for me, deserves so much more credit than it gets. As much as we’ve all heard of it, its noisy neighbour down the winding Strada Provinciale 3, Barolo, is undoubtedly the more famous amongst wine lovers around the world. But hey, that suits me!
The warmer climate, and softer and richer soils, mean Barbaresco, from any of the main municipalities of Barbaresco, Treiso and Neive, tend to be softer, more obviously floral and fruity, but no less ageworthy. It’s very much my style of wine, and if you shop around you can get some (relative) bargains for unquestionably fine wine.
Carretta’s Cascina Bordino Riserva sources fruit from Sant’Alessandro, a UGA (Unità Geografiche Aggiuntive, an attempt at a Cru-style system in Barbaresco and Barolo) of Treiso. The vineyard itself boasts steep, sandstone slopes, with silty grey marl.
“The Nebbiolo we get here is great for long macerations,” noted Minetti. It makes it a prime candidate to produce a Riserva style wine, with longer macerations, and longer time of ageing with a minimum of four years (OK, four years and two months to be exact!). This is a Barbaresco for those looking for a bolder style.
Barolo DOCG
Tenuta Carretta, Cannubi 2017
There’s very little I can say about Barolo that hasn’t been said before. I always find it funny to hear stories from producers talking about the pain of trying to sell Barolo as recently as the 1970s. These heavy, rustic, unapproachable-in-youth wines were quite literally revolutionised in the 1980s and 1990s (by the famed ‘Barolo Boys’) into the Parker-esque styles that sold so well. And the rest, as they say, is history!
Few people could claim better perspective on the vineyards of Barolo than Minetti, a former president of the Producers’ Association of Barolo. He was very proud to present his Barolo from the Cannubi vineyard, one of the more famous of 170 UGAs across the 11 Municipalities of Barolo DOCG.
“We love having wine from Cannubi,” explained Minetti. “It’s so soft and elegant, and it drinks really well a lot earlier than many of its neighbours.” Carretta’s Barolo Cannubi has been produced since 1961, with the Tenuta owning an impressive 2.68 hectares in the prized vineyard. As much as I love the Barbaresco style, it’s hard to argue against a wine like this being the pinnacle of what Nebbiolo can achieve, with incredible structure, balance, age-ability and complex flavours that seem to go on forever.
Which Nebbiolo suits your list?
The Metodo Classico is very much a fun addition to a wine list. If you run an Italian restaurant, bar or shop, and you’re looking for a point of difference from tank method Prosecco, or metodo classico Franciacorta or Alta Langa, then it’s well worth trying next time you’re at a tasting. But it’s undoubtedly niche.
The still wines, on the other hand, do require a bit of thinking about. Ok, it’s a personal view, but I’m usually pretty surprised if I don’t see at least one expression of Nebbiolo in the Italian section of a wine list for any restaurant or bar worth its salt. You know your customer and what they’re happy to pay, and you know the kind of food you sell and what you need to pair with it.
A fine dining place with well healed clientele and rich food? You’ve probably already got a Barolo. An upmarket pizza joint in a nice part of town? A chilled Langhe Nebbiolo is well worth a consideration. A wine bar in the city? Get them all and get the money-spinning wine dinner on the go!
Whatever you go for, hopefully you can see that there is a Nebbiolo out there just waiting for you!
For More Information
A huge thanks to Giovanni Minetti and the team at Tenuta Carretta. For any buyers or wine enthusiasts in the area, it’s a great place to stop. The wine is great, but they’re also geared up for wine tourism and proud to be part of the Grand Wine Tour, the first quality label for excellence in wine tourism across premium Italian wineries, committed to promoting Italian wine culture and tourism.
Tenuta Carretta is open for visits all year round at the winery, hotel and restaurant (Flavio Costa’s Michelin-starred 21.9) in Piobesi D’Alba. They also run a boutique hotel at their winery Cannubi, Barolo. For info about these fabulous wines or indeed to arrange a visit, head over to https://www.tenutacarretta.it/ to find out more.
Mike Turner is a freelance wine writer, presenter and educator, and regular contributor for The Buyer.
