Tasting Notes
The story
If you are a fan of Barolo, give this wine a try; it is
nicknamed "baby Barolo" by winemaker, Tiziana Settimo. It is
made from the same grape, Nebbiolo, though the grapes come from younger vineyards; yields are kept at the same levels as the Aurelio Settimo Barolo and there is a shorter maceration on the skins but the biggest difference is that
it is not aged in oak.
The wine
I still have some of
the 2011 vintage of this wine in stock and as at April 2018 it is drinking wonderfully well, an example of how this wine keeps developing and improving in bottle.
This 2013 vintage is similar to the 2011 though of course less developed. For both these vintages I decided to move this wine from Rich Spicy Reds to Smooth Elegant Reds because it is in fact quite classy. Full tasting note coming soon but it is, as you would expect, just like a Barolo with less intense aromas af flavours including raspberries, ripe black cherries with a hint of violet and chocolate. As this wine is unoaked, the only tannins come from the grape itself and whilst tannins are naturally high in the Nebbiolo grape, good wine-making and age mean that they are well integrated (so not drying on the palate) and provide a good structure to this wine. Medium-bodied and really beautiful.
Food Pairing
Recommended to drink with game, goose, steak, braised beef, delicately flavoured offal, mushrooms and milder cheeses including goats' and sheeps' cheese
Producer's Notes
"Our Langhe DOC Nebbiolo 2013 is a lovely light garnet red brightly-colored wine. It has an intense nose showing wild berries and balsamic notes of cocoa and licorice. On the mouth it is fruity, elegant and soft, with good complexity.
Langhe Nebbiolo is produced from grapes grown on the younger vineyards facing South-East, in the same area as the Nebbiolo used to make Barolo. The maximum yield ... is also the same.
Compared to the Barolo of the same vintage, the Langhe Nebbiolo undergoes a shorter maceration on the skins, and is not matured in wood. Its attractive tannins are therefore those found naturally in the Nebbiolo grape itself, and the wine has good structure. It is normally ready to drink without needing to be aged."
Awards
This wine was described in 2013 to Jancis Robinson as 'My little Barolo’, by Signora Settimo (daughter of Aurelio, who runs the estate now) – "...because it is made in exactly the same way as for the normal Barolo, but from young vines and without any oak. Eight days of skin maceration including alcoholic fermentation."
