Piedmont: native grapes of north-west Italy, a mixed case

Piedmont: Turin and truffles, hazelnuts and porcini - and a plethora of high-quality indigenous grape varieties. Piedmont means ‘at the foot of the mountain’, and from a vantage point on a clear day you can see all the way to the Alps. In the folds of the Langhe hills, around the city of Alba, Barolo is responsible for the most powerful, dramatic expressions of Nebbiolo, alongside succulent, acid-driven Barbera. Over the Tanaro river, the sandier soils of Roero make lighter expressions of Nebbiolo and the vibrant white Arneis. Asti is a centre of sparkling wine production, Gavi makes elegant whites from Cortese. Alto Piemonte was the engine of north Italian wine production in the nineteenth century, and traditionalist producers in the villages here continue to make sinewy, tangy, northern expressions of Nebbiolo. To help you get to grips with the complexities of Piedmontese wine, we’ve put together a mixed case with 12 of our favourite bottles, money off and free delivery. /NT

Piedmont Mixed Case
12x75cl
£270 case inc duty and VAT
Saving £34.09 inclusive of delivery

Contains one bottle of each of the following wines:

SPARKLING

2023 La Morandini Moscato d’Asti

Sweet, gently fizzy and low in alcohol, Moscato d'Asti is a lesser-known Piedmontese treat. It is only partially fermented to keep the beguiling Muscat aromas intact – think peach and orange blossom – which also makes it sweet. This goes beautifully with fruit-based desserts and cakes.  

WHITES

2023 Marco Porello Roero Arneis

Arneis is a scented white grape variety from the sandy slopes of Roero. It had almost disappeared until a few pioneering producers brough it back from the brink. Marco Porello makes a lovely example: think Seville orange and grapefruit, underpinned by a stony acidity.  

2023 La Zerba Gavi di Tassarolo Terrarossa 

Tassarolo is the highest of the Gavi communes, which lends a cool energy to this lovely expression of the Cortese grape. The wine is called ‘Terrarossa’ (‘red earth’) because of the reddish, iron-rich soils in the La Zerba vineyards. Think acacia honey and red apple.    

2023 Fratelli Alessandria Langhe Favorita

Favorita is the very local Alba clone of the better-known grape variety Vermentino. Creamy, grippy, this shows notes of apple tart and lemon custard. It gets a few hours of skin contact for some extra textural intensity. 

2022 Walter Massa Timorasso Derthona

When Walter Massa took over his family farm, he was bowled over by the intensity of the white wines he made from his Timorasso grapes. His family tended the last few hectares of this almost-extinct variety, which had once been widely-planted across the hills of Tortona. With Walter as its champion, Timorasso is now enjoying a revival. Think lime zest and candied lemon, with a stony, mineral finish. 

REDS

2023 Marco Porello Langhe Nebbiolo 

Langhe Nebbiolo is a DOC that allows for a slightly softer, more forward style of Nebbiolo than monumental Barolo. Think violet and wild strawberry, and a gentler tannic structure that doesn’t demand years of aging to tame. In fact, this is immensely drinkable.  

2022 Cabutto Langhe Nebbiolo

Cabutto are an excellent Barolo producer, and they make an exquisitely attractive Langhe Nebbiolo to boot. Think cherry, rose petal and raspberry. There’s enough structure here for this to be mistaken for Barolo.     

2023 Ferraris Ruche Vigna del Parroco

Vigna del Parroco means the ‘parish priest’s vineyard’. The priest in question made his own communion wine, and noted that one section of his vines always produced superior grapes. What he didn’t know was that those vines were a different variety, the rare and headily-scented Ruche. Ferraris source grapes from that vineyard to produce this benchmark Ruche bottling. Nebbiolo-like notes of dried rose and cherry are interwoven with liquorice and sweet spice.

2021 Fratelli Alessandria Barbera Priora

Late-ripening, high-acid, low-tannin Barbera can flourish in some tough spots where Nebbiolo would wilt. It can also take oak quite well, and can acquire a claret-like weight as it ages. The Priora from Fratelli Alessandria is rich and heady, full of leather, spice and chocolate. 

2020 Antoniotti Bramaterra

Father and son team Odilio and Mattia Antoniotti make wine in the tiny, subalpine DOC of Bramaterra, just as their family have done since the 1860s. The local tradition is to blend Nebbiolo with other varieties. Croatina brings a little extra flesh, Vespolina brings perfume, and Uva Rara helps soften the northern Nebbiolo tannins. 

2020 Serio & Battista Borgogno Barolo

Classic, complex Barolo from a producer with plum holdings in the heart of the region. Think cherry and rose petal, leather and herb, and pair this with ossobuco or oxtail or roast duck.  

2019 Bruna Grimaldi Barolo Camilla

Camilla is a Barolo blended from fruit across five villages and diverse soils (limestone, sandstone, clay, and marl). It is elegant and balanced, and marked by the structure of the 2019 vintage. ‘I guessed it would be that way,’ says winemaker Simone Fiorino. ‘The grapes came to the winery with very thick skins. The wine was slow to develop in the cellar. That’s a good sign for the future’.

Offered subject to remaining unsold. To place an order, click on the mixed case below or call 020 7638 5998