Salon Saturday: The Red Wines of Piemonte, Italy

This show aired on July 13, 2024 covering the wines of Piedmont or Piemonte.

Piemonte Red Wines

Piemonte (Piedmont) is home to a variety of Italian red wines that are popular worldwide. All three of the most popular grapes also have a home in New Mexico. Those are Nebbiolo, Barbera and Dolcetto, sharing some of the same terroir with Nebbiolo. This wine region also benefits from the marine influence of the nearby Tyrrhenian Sea.

Italian wine ratings

DOC/DOCG: (Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita) These relate to quality standards that define the types of Italian grapes permitted, aging requirements, etc. DOC is a broader classification, while DOCG is more restrictive and defines more rigorous growing, aging and quality specifications. The standards also relate to physical locations defined similar to AVA standards.

• In Italy there are 329 DOC regions and 73 DOCG
• Superiore on a label indicates a wine with higher alcohol, more detail on label, longer aging requirements and better quality grapes
• Riserva refers to additional aging standards, generally 1 year, but this varies by region

IGP/IGT: This newer standard was created to address wines made with non-Italian grapes, which included the so-called Super Tuscans. The thought now is to treat these wines as DOC or DOCG as updated standards that are under development.

Piemonte history

During the Italian unification of the 19th century, many Piemontese winemakers and land owners played a pivotal role. The famous Italian patriot Giuseppe Garibaldi was also a winemaker. Camillo Benso was a wealthy vineyard owner who went abroad to study advances in viticulture prior to founding the political newspaper Il Risorgimento. He was highly influential in the adoption of many French viticultural techniques among the Piemonte vineyards.

The Austrian government’s act to double the tariffs of Piemontese wines into the Austrian-controlled lands of Lombardy, Emilia and the Veneto had a crippling effect on the Piemontese wine industry, essentially cutting them off from their main export market and led to the Italian revolt.

In 1846, King Charles Albert of Sardinia spoke to the Piemontese winegrowers where he assailed the Austrian oppression. By 1848, Piedmont was at war with Austria which eventually led to the unification of the Italian peninsula under the rule of King Charles’ son Victor Emmanuel.

Piemonte grapes and terroir

• Nebbiolo: Called the king of grapes and the grape of kings suggest the long esteem this grape has held. Medium-bodied but with a kicker of a tannic backbone, many of these wines are best drunk after 5 years to allow the tannins to mellow. Many are good for 40 years or longer.
• Barbera: A great food-pairing grape with sour cherry and licorice with dried herbs. Barbera d’Asti is a Barbera from Asti, Piemonte.
• Dolcetto: Plum, blackberry and black pepper with lower acidity. Drunk young as most don’t age well. A very popular NM variety that does have good acidity.
• Muscato Bianco: The well-traveled Muscat grape is most commonly used in sparklers, but also makes an excellent still wine in Strevi.
• Gavi di Gavi: This Gavi wine from Gavi is where the best examples of this Cortese grape-based wine are made. Very acidic but the southern, warm part of Piedmonte near Liguria makes superb examples with good minerality similar to Sancerre and Chablis, but a better price tag.

The Nebbiolo Grape

There are two primary areas of concentration of Nebbiolo within Piemonte. The more southerly region is around Barolo, Barbaresco, Alba and Roero (rare-o) within the broader region of Langhe (LangE). The more northerly region is situated around Ghemme and Gattinara and a number of DOC regions. To the west and further north on the border with Val d’Aosta is Carema. The other area of note is Valtellina in neighboring Lombardy which makes a lighter more Pinot Noir-like wine.

This is not our first rodeo in Piemonte. Classically this has always been a popular grape going back centuries and while Chianti was still shipping its wine in wicker bottles (fiasco ) in the 60s, a Barolo still stood out as a good wine.

Labeling Details:

The neck of the wine bottle will display the DOC or DOCG quality designator. A Nebbiolo-based wine will list the subregion under the winery or vintner name. In the past Langhe was not always emphasized and just the grape name was displayed, but as the overall quality improved the Langhe name and sometimes the vineyard appeared in its place.

The less pricey Langhe Nebbiolo wines are often a very good buy and often ready to drink sooner than classic Barolo wines.

Wine Folly Nebbiolo Facts

As always, Wine Folly is the first place we go for wine information that is clear, concise and layered with excellent graphics. So here is a quick snapshot and overview of Nebbiolo.

• Nebbiolo is a very old grape, first being referenced as far back as the 13th Century!
• The name Nebbiolo derives from nebbia, the Italian word for “fog.” This is likely from the white, powder-like natural bloom on the grapes that appears during harvest season. Or, from the fact that the best Nebbiolo sites are located above the fog that collects in the valley.
• Even though Nebbiolo only makes up ~8% of all the grapes grown in Piedmont, more of this grape is grown here than anywhere else in the world. Over 92%, followed by Mexico with 3%.
• Despite being an essential part of two of the country’s premier wines, Nebbiolo is rarely grown anywhere else in Italy. However Nerello Mascalese has very similar characteristics.
• Much like Pinot Noir, Nebbiolo is an incredibly fussy variety to grow. It flowers early, ripens late, and can struggle to ripen fully. It also seems to prefer specific hillside locations and clay- and silt-based soils. In other words it needs good drainage and lots of sun.
• Also like Pinot Noir, Nebbiolo is considered a “terroir-expressive” variety, in that it picks up more of the earth, soil, and climate characteristics versus other grapes, thus it can taste wildly different depending on where it’s grown. A point we’ll explore below.

Nebbiolo Geeky Facts

Even though Nebbiolo wines look deceptively light because of the pale color, while still young they do have a richer darker color. However, the color fades quickly. The reason is Nebbiolo’s anthocyanins (water-soluble pigments) that contain few stable colorants and more easily oxidized peonidin and cyanidin glycosides, resulting in a rapidly decolorizing wine over a short period of time. See, I knew you wanted to know that.

Since the majority of wine drinkers are averse to waiting a decade for a wine to be drinkable, many of these wines are made softer and more approachable using advanced winemaking techniques such as extended maceration to soften tannins.

Nebbiolo DOCG and DOC locations

Here we cover select DOCG or DOC subregions within Piemonte. Recall that these are defined areas with specific rules to be followed to permit a wine to wear the DOC/DOCG label. That includes permitted grapes and blending percentages and aging requirements.

Barolo DOCG: (est. 1980)

Barolo wines age at least 18 months in the barrel, with a total of three years aging before release. Most traditionally-made examples only start to come around at 10+ years.

• Riserva Wines labeled Barolo “Riserva” are aged for a minimum of five years.
• Vigna on a label indicates a single vineyard wine.

There are eleven communes of Barolo, with two different taste styles based on the soil being either predominantly limestone or sandstone.

• The lighter-tasting wine communes include La Morra and Barolo, with limestone-based soils.
• The bolder-tasting wine communes include Serralunga d’Alba, Monforte d’Alba, and Castiglione Falletto, with more weathered sandstone-clay soils.

Barbaresco DOCG (est. 1980)

The region is based around the towns of Barbaresco, Neive, Treiso and San Rocco Seno d’Elvio. The best Crus are located south of the town of Barbaresco towards the hamlets of Tre Stelle and Treiso.

• Neive produces the most powerful & structured wines.
• Treiso produces the most graceful and refined wines. This region contains tall forests and temperatures that are noticeably cooler, especially at night.

Despite being made from the same grape and produced in neighboring areas less than 10 miles from each other, the wines of Barbaresco and Barolo do have some distinct differences. Located south of the river Tanaro, the Barbaresco zone receives a slight maritime influence which allows Nebbiolo to ripen a little earlier than in Barolo. This allows the grape to get to fermentation earlier with a shorter maceration time. The early tannins in a young Barbaresco are not quite as harsh as Barolo and under DOCG rules it is allowed to age for a year less than Barolo.

Langhe DOC (est. 1994)

An even more approachable style of Nebbiolo comes from the adjoining Langhe area, which surrounds the towns of Barolo and Barbaresco. Eric Asimov in his NY Times wine school covered this region a few years ago, recommending it for that very reason.

Because of the fog that settles in the valleys of this region, the best expression of the Nebbiolo grape is on the slopes of the hills where the Nebbiolo grape can achieve perfect ripeness. Years ago we sampled a Massimo Rivetti Langhe from a heroic vineyard at high elevation and steeply-sloped.

Bottom line: Verifying the location of the vineyard on slopes rather than the valley helps insure fully-ripe grapes. Alcohol level above 13% (13.5% – 14.5%) will also confirm this.

The Barbera Grape

Barbera is believed to have originated in the hills of Monferrato in central Piemonte, Italy, where it has been known since the thirteenth century. Recent DNA evidence suggests that Barbera might be related to the French-Spanish Mourvèdre. Well over 80% of Barbera are grown in Italy in Piemonte, Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna. Well over 12% is grown in the US, most in California in the Central Valley for jug wine, but some of the best Barbera is grown in the Sierra foothills and Amador County’s Shenandoah Valley.

The grape has medium body and alcohol, but high acidity with low tannins. Since it is a vigorous grower it needs proper pruning or planting in poor soils. Its high acidity and color pigmentation is used where color or acidity needs to be boosted. It is blended with Nebbiolo to enhance that grape’s light color.

In Piemonte it gets second place to Nebbiolo, usually grown at the lower slopes, but as it ripens two weeks earlier than Nebbiolo it can be harvested into wines before the much more profitable grape is harvested.

Barbera d’Asti DOCG:

Barbera d’Asti is an Italian red wine made from the Barbera grape. It is produced in the hilly areas of the provinces of Asti and Alexandria. Barbera d’Asti was accredited with DOC status in 1970, and DOCG status followed in 2008.

Rule changes in 2000, permit producing Barbera d’Asti Superiore, which requires an alcoholic strength of at least 12.5%, and be aged for at least 14 months, 6 months in oak or chestnut barrels. Many Superiore producers refine it in small oak barriques to obtain a rounder taste. On the label, Superiore can be followed by the sub-zones of Nizza, Tinella, or Colli Astiani (Asti).

Barbera d’Alba DOC

Barbera d’Alba is a key DOC of Piedmont, in northwest Italy, famed for its tangy, cherry-like red wines made from Barbera grapes. The Alba viticultural area covers both the town of Alba and the surrounding Langhe hills, and overlaps with those of Barolo and Barbaresco.

All around Alba, are the kind of rolling hills which have come to symbolize the Piemontese landscape. Barbera vines thrive in the chalky, limestone-rich clay soils here. The best Barbera d’Alba wines are sourced from hillside vineyard sites close to Barolo.

Recommended Piemonte Red Wines

The wines recommended here are available in the greater Albuquerque area.

G D Vajra Barolo Albe, 2020, $43 and Wine Spectator #9 Wine of the Year 2024

Wine Spectator tasting notes: “Cherry, raspberry, rose, iron, juniper and hay flavors, underscored by vibrant acidity. Harmonious and supple in texture, with a long aftertaste of red fruit, mineral and floral elements.” 94 points

Carlo Revello & Figli Barbera d’Alba Superiore, 2022, 14.5% ABV, $26

James Suckling- “Fresh raspberries and wild berries with dried blood oranges, fresh flowers and light spices. Juicy and meaty on the palate with fleshy red fruit and vivid acidity. Supple tannins. Drink now.” 91 points

Abbona Langhe Nebbiolo, 2022, 14% ABV, $30

James Suckling-Italy – Piedmont – “Attractive notes of cherries, dried raspberries, licorice, dried herbs and nutmeg. Medium-bodied, juicy and tense with firm but fine and polished tannins. Bright and focused and lightly chewy at the end.” 91 points

A very dependable and well-structured wine I’ve enjoyed numerous times.

La Sacrestia Langhe Nebbiolo, 2019, 14% ABV, $20

James Suckling- “This has aromas of sour cherries, orange peel, bay leaves, smoke and porcini mushrooms. Firm tannins here, with a full body and savory, earthy finish. Nicely structured nebbiolo. ”

90 points and with some good age on the bottle. One of my favorite Langhe wines.

Rocca Felice Barbera d’Alba Superiore, 13.5% ABV, $19

“Generous amounts of red berry fruit and just a hint of vanilla are evident on the nose and palate. Rich lush flavors of the same along with spice and a little smoke wash over the palate with beautiful precision.

Rocca Felice Barbaresco, 14% ABV, $33

“Produced from Nebbiolo grapes grown by the Lanzavecchia family. Full-bodied with an aroma reminiscent of violets, a robust flavor profile of plummy dark fruits, and a velvety finish.”

A number of fine choices to serve on New Year’s Day.