Nebbiolo 2018

Nebbiolo, the noble heritage grape from the famous Piedmont region (Barolo, Barbaresco) in Northern Italy is exceptionally finicky about where it will thrive and ripen best. Extremely fussy with irregular fruiting it is always the first variety to bud and the last to ripen. Since 1997 we select buds from the healthiest and strongest Nebbiolo vines with good fruit maturity to graft them to other healthy vines (sacrificing vines from another grape variety) to the perfect plot in our vineyard. From the warm, sandy, gravely soils mixed with fine particles of silt and clay grows a wine that stands up to the great Barbaresco or Barolo. The 2018 is another vintage with no cost spared to produce this stately wine from handpicked grapes at a miniscule yield of 500g per vines.

'After a long cold soak to extract the beneficial compounds from skin and seeds I let the grapes go through a natural fermentation for a few weeks. A maceration period after fermentation extracted the now soft and sweet tannins for additional flavours. The wine matured for 40 month in older French Barriques to soften and round up tannin and acidity but avoiding too much additional wood tannin extraction. With more than 3 years of additional bottle ageing at perfect temperature in our barrel hall this would more than equal to a ‘Riserva’ quality (total of 5 years of ageing). No fining. No filtration. Purely natural.'

A perfect match with rich pasta dishes, beef or game.

James Suckling - 93 points

'Aromas of cherries, red plums, oranges and flowers follow through to a medium body, firm and fine tannins as well as a slightly creamy texture. Tangy. Better after 2026.' James Suckling

The Real Review - 96 points

'A rich, fleshy nebbiolo with a mix of classic tar-and-roses character together with savoury 'forest floor' flavours and spicy oak. A delicious wine with power and further potential.' Bob Campbell