Nebbiolo Three Ways
by Tom Wolf
2022 Langhe Nebbiolo
Italy | Piedmont
Massimo Benevelli takes every opportunity he can to show the serious and complex side of his first-rate terroirs, but that doesn’t mean he shies away from the charming sides of Piemonte’s great red grape. That much is clear the moment you inhale his Langhe Nebbiolo. Intermingling orange zest with roses, red fruits, and a fine tannin, it is utterly enchanting and begs to be paired with a polenta topped with mushrooms or braised beef (or both!).
2018 Barolo “Vigna Santa Caterina”
Italy | Piedmont
Like Massimo’s extroverted Langhe Nebbiolo, Guido Porro’s 2018 Vigna Santa Caterina is already a remarkably inviting expression of Barolo, with its high-toned, elegant profile and silky tannins. You don’t need to wait to pop the cork on this and—as seamlessly as it will pair with all kinds of dishes, from a seared pork chop to cacio e pepe—you don’t even need food. It is that graceful!
2017 Laboro Disobedient
Italy | Piedmont
The playful label that adorns this “vino rosso,” created by the late, famous Italian comics artist Sergio Staino, belies the class, structure, and ageability of the Fantino brothers’ Laboro Disobedient, a riserva Barolo they originally declassified because of bureaucratic red tape. All it takes is one sip of this profound and stately red, swirling with notes of cherries, tar, blood orange, and spice, to be captivated by the alluring power of the Fantinos’ Monforte terroir.
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