NEBBIOLO: ITALY’S MOST NOBLE RED WINE

September 23, 2016

OregonPinotNoirDotCom — The Nebbiolo Edition

As I’ve written before, I’m a fan of Nebbiolo. Barolo and Barbaresco for sure, but also examples from all over Piedmont and even other areas of Italy. In my personal wine collection, I have at least as much Nebbiolo in various forms as I do Pinot Noir and Burgundy. I started buying the wines about fifteen years ago, and now I’m pleased to have some very drinkable, mature examples.

Serious winos often draw comparisons between Nebbiolo and Pinot Noir. They are both thin-skinned grapes that are prone to oxidation, and when aged, they can both become ethereal mature wines of great finesse. In between, however, they are not so similar!

Nebbiolo simply contains more of the chemical compounds

that add flavor, color and aroma to wine. It has more


	The Bruna Grimaldi estate

genetic potential to make bigger, darker, and more structured wine that any pinot noir is capable of, even with today’s chemical catalog of magic wine tricks. Nebbiolo is one of the world’s greatest wine grapes, and below you’ll find a selection of delicious examples. There are some wines that need to cellar, some easy-drinking versions for consumption now, and even a few older wines that are rare and hard to find! Browse our selections, or call me up to discuss personally. I’d be very happy to dispense some vinous advice

As many of you know, we are currently in our 26th year of selling wine over the internet. Many of you have been buying wine from us for 10 years, 15 years, or even 20 years or more. I’m grateful to all of you that have stuck around for so long. And, I invite you to move with us into the future as we sell Italian wine, Riesling, and other delicious wines to go along with all the fantastic Oregon Pinot Noir.

Thanks to you all for your continued support.

Pinotguy Bob

NEBBIOLO – THE BASICS

LANGHE AND ALBA BOTTLINGS PROVIDE ALL THE CHARACTER AT A VALUE PRICE

MOST NEBBIOLO PRODUCERS IN THE PIEDMONT PRODUCE AN ENTRY-LEVEL WINE, MOST OFTEN NEBBIOLO DE LANGHE, WHICH SOURCES THE GRAPES FROM A BROAD AREA OF THE REGION, OR NEBBIOLO DE ALBA, A MORE SPECIFIC PLACE WITHIN THE LANGHE. THE WINES ARE 100% NEBBIOLO, AND HAVE MUCH OF THE SAME DARK FRUIT, TAR-AND-ROSES CHARACTER, AND TANNIC STRUCTURE. BUT THEY TEND TO BE APPROACHABLE YOUNG, AND WITH A BIT OF DECANTING CAN PAIR EXCEPTIONALLY WELL WITH HEARTY FOODS. WE’VE ASSEMBLED OUR FAVORITE BOTTLES AT THIS LEVEL, AND POSTED THEM TO THE WEBSITE ALONG WITH THEIR CRITICAL REVIEWS. CLICK THROUGH TO SEE ALL OF THE GREAT NEBBIOLO FROM THIS OFFER! READ MORE

BARBARESCO – THE “ELEGANT”

FORM OF NEBBIOLO

RICH AND TEXTURED

THE TOWNS OF BARBARESCO AND BAROLO ARE THE HEART OF THE BEST NEBBIOLO GROWN IN ITALY, AND THUS THE WORLD. BARBARESCO WINES CAN BE OPULENT OR STRUCTURED, BUT TEND TO BE A BIT LESS POWERFUL THAN BAROLO, AND TO BECOME DELICIOUSLY DRINKABLE WITH LESS CELLARING. WE’VE STOCKPILED SOME SUPERB SELECTIONS FROM OLD-SCHOOL PRODUCERS THAT ARE ALL APPROACHABLE NOW. THIS IS A BIG STEP UP FROM NEBBIOLO DE LANGHE, AND THE PRICES GO UP ACCORDINGLY. YOU CAN EXPECT SCADS OF DARK-RED, TAR-INFLECTED AND MINERAL-INFUSED FRUIT FLAVOR, LIGHT TO MEDIUM TANNINS AND GREAT DETAIL AND COMPLEXITY ON THE PALATE. CLICK THROUGH TO SEE OUR FAVORITE BARBARESCO PICKS AND TO SEE THE VINOUS SCORES! READ MORE

BAROLO

THE ONE TO RULE THEM ALL

CELLAR PICKS AND

OLDER WINES READY TO DRINK!

GREAT BAROLO IS SIMPLY ONE OF THE BEST, MOST AGE-WORTHY RED WINES MADE IN THE WORLD. THE FINEST EXAMPLES ARE POWERFUL WINES, DEEPLY EXTRACTED, WITH SIGNIFICANT STRUCTURE. THEY CAN REQUIRE A MINIMUM OF A DECADE IN THE CELLAR, WITH SOME WINES ABLE TO AGE FOR THIRTY YEARS OR MORE. BUT THEY ALSO REWARD PATIENCE WITH ASTONISHINGLY COMPLEX FLAVORS AND AROMAS. WE HAVE PUT TOGETHER A FEW OF OUR TOP PICKS INCLUDING SOME CELLARED WINES THAT ARE DRINKALBE NOW. WE STUMBLED ACROSS SOME BOTTLES FROM THE 2007 VINTAGE, A CLASSIC YEAR RATED AT 95 POINTS OVERALL BY THE WINE SPECTATOR. THE STASH OF OLDER WINES IS LIMTED. PLEASE CLICK THROUGH TO SEE OUR PICKS! READ MORE

ALTO PIEDMONT AND LOMBARDY COOL CLIMATE NEBBIOLO

INTRICATE, ELEGANT WINES TO SHOWCASE NEBBIOLO PURITY

BAROLO AND BARBARESCO GET MOST OF THE NEBBIOLO GLORY, BUT THERE ARE GREAT NEBBIOLO WINES MADE IN OTHER PARTS OF PIEDMONT, AND OTHER REGIONS IN ITALY. WE ARE OFFERING UP THE 94+ POINT LESSONA (REGION) FROM SPERINO (PRODUCER) THAT IS A STELLAR EXAMPLE OF HOW NEBBIOLO CAN FLOURISH IN COOLER SITES. ANOTHER SOURCE OF ELEGANT, JUICY AND MEDIUM-BODIED NEBBIOLO IS IN THE LOMBARDY REGION, EAST OF PIEDMONT. HERE, NEBBIOLO IS CALLED VALTELLINA SUPERIOR. OUR PICK IS FROM REKNOWNED PRODUCER AR. PE. PE., A JUICY, FRAGRANT WINE THAT IS ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS TO DRINK NOW. PLEASE CLICK THROUGH FOR MORE NOTES, AND ALL THE WINES! READ MORE

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