It’s been a fun Italian journey, drinking my way up from the southeastern tip of Sicily through Puglia, with a stop in Tuscany to the Piedmont region.
And this weekend I spent sipping Nebbiolo grown in Vezza D’Alba and created by the winemaker, Bruno Pasquero.
Nebbiolo is a fussy grape, requiring sunny hillsides and soil that is just so. Maybe that’s why Barolos are so unique, their winemakers so serious and the prices…so astronomical.
But I’ve been enjoying and singing the praises of the under appreciated Nebbiolo varietal. And this one is really outstanding. Made from 30-year old vines and aged in large ancient oak barrels, Vigndogna is certainly distinct from our idea of a Barolo but also from other great Nebbiolo varietals, like the Cappellano ‘05 Langhe Nebbiolo D’Alba.
As well, been stumped on why this Nebbiolo is just so different and bold and forward. My friend and wine expert, Christopher Barnes, from Chambers Street Wines thinks its most likely the soil and the microclimate of the locale. Vezza D’Alba is a bit off center from other Nebbiolo vineyards and maybe that’s the reason.
What I do know with certainty is that this is a rare find for the lover of Italian wine. The bottle has the deep aroma and complexity of the Barolo but is bolder, richer with fruit and distinctive. Just a great wine to sip and enjoy and relish.
At $22 a bottle this is a gift to the wine lover. I can’t recommend this one enough.
Available from Chambers Street Wines.
