Mar 27, 20194 min read

A visit to Le Langhe, Piedmont… part 1

Updated: Mar 28, 2019

…in the company of my good friend Arnaldo Rossi, winemaker and Cortona restauranteur.

As we left Cortona the conversation immediately started: "What wines were you looking forward to tasting the most?” "Do you think Luca Roagna will ever answer his phone?” “Shall we go here?” “I wonder if, so and so, is in? What a great tasting that would be?” “What new wineries have you heard are producing interesting wines?” The anticipation was tangible, but what occurred over the following two and half days exceeded all our expectations.

First stop on Monday morning was La Ca Nova in Montestefano, Barbaresco: a winery situated between Asti and Alessandria owned by the Bellero family since the turn of the 19th century.

The name Ca Nova dates back to the 17th century, and was the name given to an ancient farmhouse belonging to the maternal family of the present winemaker and owner, Marco Bellero. Marco’s passion and skill in producing fine quality Barbaresco and Barbera is one of Piedmont’s best known secrets.

I first met Marco a few years prior at Vinitaly in Verona: I recall seeing in one of the vast fair halls, a man standing behind a table with two bottles of wine, a bread basket and a half finished bottle of water. All around him much larger displays costing tens of thousands of Euros with full marketing teams busy at work and there, alone, in the corner he stood. I approached him and within five minutes of tasting his wines I was spellbound! The purity, balance and essence of these two single crus (produced in 2014 which is not known to be a great vintage), was one of those wine moments that stays with you forever.

This Monday mornings tasting at La Ca Nova consisted of three wines:

Barbera D’Alba 2016

Mid ruby red in colour, aromatic, cherry, plum, savoury notes. Spice on the back end. Inviting. Layered. Ready to drink now.

Points 92TW

Barbaresco Montestefano 2016

Dark cherry, sweet plum, liquorice, dried mushroom, herbs. Dense, expansive. Incredible finish with mint notes. If you see it…buy it!

Points 93-96 TW

Barbaresco Vigna Bric Mentina 2016

Dark black fruits, liquorice, sage, rose petal, lavender. Warm, inviting. Smooth contours. Linear. Needs 2/3years. Powerful yet such elegance!

Points 94-97 TW

Our next stop was the highly acclaimed winery of Sottimano, we were warmly greeted by the entire family Rino, Anna, Elena and Andrea.

The wines of Sottimano have always been held in high esteem but over the course of recent years the quality has found an extra gear. Their 2016 Barbaresco Fausoni and Pajoré are explosive and will give so much pleasure given time. Even the Langhe Nebbiolo 2016 has a quality about it that belies its entry level status.

Pairolero Barbera D’Alba 2016 is fresh, fruit laden and integrated. The tannins could use a little bit more acidity but the fruit quality will assist in time.

Points 90 TW

Sottimano Barbaresco Pajorè 2016

Bright ruby red in colour. Wonderful nose of berry fruit and lavender. Mint, orange peel, great texture and depth. The middle palate is broad. Powerful yet silky. Needs time to develop 2/3 years. Do not miss this!

Points 96 TW

Sottimano Barbaresco Fausoni 2016

Red berries, dried rose petal, orange peel, menthol. Fresh tannins. Soft contours. More feminine at this stage than Pajorè. Fresh and approachable.

Points 94+ TW

On departing from Sottimano, Arnaldo suggested we visit a good friend in his ex-monastery headquarters, who just happened to be an importer and distributor of artisanal wines.

As we arrived we were greeted warmly by the owner Christian Bucci, a man whom I found to be of considerable charm, intelligence and generosity. After spending time in various senior positions within the wine trade both in Italy and the UK, Christian decided, in 2009, to concentrate in promoting natural wines from Italy and later from other wine countries under the motto “less is more”. This proved to be a stroke of genius as the business grows annually.

We entered the tasting room where business was in “full flow”. At the end of this room was a fully functioning modern kitchen, with a large preparation table to the front. Christian asked what style of Champagne I preferred, I responded and within a nano second I was offered a glass of Blanc de Blancs of such clarity and precision I was genuinely impressed. Two further bottles of Champagne were produced, my opinion being asked, followed by white wines from around the globe, the final four or five being red and local. Anyone who dismisses natural, artisan and biodynamic wines as not worthy, is not only missing out on some really great wines but also missing out on a wine education of great importance.

To prove the case, I was introduced to one of “LES CAVES DE PYRENE’s” top Nebbiolo:

Torbido! 2007 Cascina Ebreo — a declassified Barolo.

Dark ruby red. Dried spring flowers, dark chocolate, cherry, raspberry jam, Asian spice, balsamic notes. Rich with great acidity. Intense. A joy!

Points 96 TW

The following day started early at 9.00am at the cellar doors of Cascina delle Rose.

This estate is owned by Giovanna RIzzolio and Italo Sobrino and their sons Riccardo and Davide. Owned by the family since 1948, they were contract growers until 1992. Today the estate produces 20,000 bottles of Dolcetto, Barbera and Barbaresco in total. The Tre Stelle vineyard has the typical Barbaresco blue limestone situated high in the soil, this is attributed to refine the tannins.

The wines are vinified in steel tanks: 15/18 days for Barbera, 25/30 days for the Barbaresco. During fermentation gentle pump overs are used, the malolactic fermentation is started by warming the room. None of the wines are filtered or fined, just racked. After fermentation, large Slovenian oak barrels are used to age the wines. Although a new, small venture, the cellar is staggering in its size and beauty.