Elio Grasso Langhe Nebbiolo 2007
Langhe is a DOC in the Piedmont region of Italy that consists of the Langhe Hills surrounding the city of Alba, with most of the vineyards located east of the Tanaro River. Many of the vineyards overlap the Barolo, Barbaresco, and Roero DOCs. In the case of a grape being named following the “Langhe” (as with this Langhe Nebbiolo) the wine must contain 100% of the named varietal. Thus, this wine from Elio Grasso is 100% Nebbiolo.
This wine arrived on our doorstep as a product of my recent fascination with not just wines from Piedmont, but the Nebbiolo grape in particular. For instance, we recently tasted a Roero from Azienda Agricola Matteo Correggio that we enjoyed a great deal. Wines from the Roero DOCG must contain 95-98% nebbiolo, where the grape produces a wine that is a bit more fruit forward than those from the Langhe area, and whose tannins are much softer, allowing the wine to be drunk much younger than Nebbiolo-based wines from the Langhe. Interesting, the varietal that makes up the other 2-5% in Roero wines is Arneis, more commonly used for making whites in the Langhe region, and whose cultivation in the Roero hills dates back to the 15th century (maybe the requirement is an ode to history more than a beneficial blending component).
So that bottle of Roero was a good chance to experience a particular expression of the nebbiolo grape, whose cultivation is unique to Italy and at its most expressive when grown in Piedmont. The nebbiolo grape is a notably difficult grape for growers to cultivate, which is a large part of why it largely unique to Piedmont. It is late-ripening and very sensitive to adverse vintage conditions such as undue amounts of rain, too much cold or hot weather, etc. In fact, its cultivation can be so difficult that most Barolo and Barbaresco producers will not produce Barolo or Barbaresco denominated wines in a bad vintage year. Instead, they’ll devote their production to Langhe-denominated wines or other regional DOCs, such as Barbera d’Alba, Dolcetto d’Asti, etc.
Anyhow, on to this wine. Elio Grasso are both growers and vintners based in Monforte d’Alba. They’ve been producing the Langhe Nebbiolo bottling since 1987. The vineyards are situated on south-facing slopes at 350-380 meters and consist of limestone-based soils. The grapes are picked by hand in the first 10 days of October, fermented in stainless steel tanks for 7-8 days and then aged for 6-7 months in stainless steel. The 2007 vintage was released somewhat recently, earlier this Fall.
The wine is garnet-colored, with a nice plush purple hue at the rim and a good amount of depth to the color. The nose is delicate, with hints of red fruits, menthol, and tobacco. The palate consists of tart cherries and a nicely mouth-coating sweetness balanced with a distinct acidity. What’s interesting is that the flavor speaks to me more of fruit skin, than actual fruit. Cherry skin, raspberry seeds, apple skins. The fruit flavors carry through on the finish, compounded by some mint, and made lively by the refreshing acidity. The tannins are noticeable but moderate, and I actually think that they lend a certain vibrancy to the wine.
On the whole I like this wine very much. Last night we had a Dolcetto d’Alba that was quite nice, but this wine I find to more enjoyable on account of its intriguing flavors. Instead of being as fruit-forward and easy-access as the Dolcetto was (and as wines from the dolcetto grape normally are), this wine caused you to think more as you drank it, to seek out descriptors for what you were tasting and to want another sip to help you focus in on that elusive flavor. The wine is not super-complex, but definitely complex enough to offer some real food-for-thought.
I think this was a great wine to savor through an evening, and to be happy that you could have a second glass of. I’d highly recommend it – with the caveat that it, and perhaps nebbiolos in general, are not necessarily a wine for everyone. That being said, for myself who tends to be intellectually motivated to try different drinks, this wine was a real pleasure.
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