Barolo is the undisputed king of Nebbiolo, but it’s expensive. Can we find other quality Nebbiolo values in other regions around the world?
Exploring Nebbiolo Around the World
A while back I explored Nebbiolo grown in other regions around the world. If you love Barolo, you probably already know Barbaresco, but it’s also quite pricey these days. Therefore, I looked to see if other Italian appellations and other countries could make quality Nebbiolo. In my first review, I found quality Nebbiolo from Australia and Santa Barbara County besides other Piedmont appellations.
For this post, I’m checking out Nebbiolo grown in northern California, Mexico, Chile, Lombardy and other Piedmont appellations to compare with a Barolo.
Why Making Nebbiolo is Hard Outside of Italy
Although I will try to note the regional and stylistic differences in this tasting, I think it’s important not to judge these Nebbiolos necessarily on these differences compared to Barolo, but their overall quality. For some reason, we can accept that Cabernet Sauvignon can come in different styles, show different characteristics based on terroir and come from all over the world while still showing Cabernet characteristics, but it’s hard to let our imagination run free on how Nebbiolo has to taste like. This is probably because we don’t drink much Nebbiolo outside Piedmont, and that’s due in large part to the fact that we can’t find much Nebbiolo outside of Piedmont. This is probably because French varieties have dominated the wine world for a while, so its varieties grown in other countries have managed to be in high demand globally. In contrast, 99% of Nebbiolo is produced in Italy.
However, perhaps the main reason we don’t see much Nebbiolo outside of Italy is because the grape itself is known as being picky about where it can grow. According to Prima Materia winery in California, who grow Nebbiolo and other Italian varieties: “Fact is the Nebbiolo vine just does not like you and there is nothing you can do about it. It will always seem astringent, for that is its nature. If that is a problem for you, choose something else.” They go on to say that growing Nebbiolo takes a lot of work and trial and error, in which Barolo already has centuries of practice.
On the other hand, some producers in Barolo and Barbaresco use French oak barrels, single vineyards and less maceration to make international styled wines as opposed to traditional Barolo, who use large, old botti with long maceration giving it massive tannins for decades long aging. Traditional Barolo is usually sourced from multiple vineyards too. Therefore, there’s already diversity within Barolo, so why don’t more producers try to make their own expression elsewhere? Is it demand or winemaking issues?
Bottom line, due to Barolo’s terroir and years of winemaking knowledge, other countries may never be able to produce exactly what Barolo tastes like, such as the classic “tar and roses” notes. At the same time, Nebbiolo outside Piedmont should have some other classic Nebbiolo characteristics, such as red fruit flavors, relatively lighter color and body but with tannic and acidic structure. It shouldn’t taste and look like Merlot, for example. We’ll see how these 6 Nebbiolo compare to Barolo. I tasted these wines with some friends/other wine geeks to get their impressions too. They tasted everything blind.
Tasting Notes
2019 Fratelli Alessandria Langhe Nebbiolo Prinsiòt
Langhe is a designation of the overall sub-region in Piedmont that encompasses Barolo and Barbaresco. This allows producers more flexibility outside of the rules of smaller sub-appellations. Many Barolo and Barbaresco producers make Langhe designated wines. Many of those wines are their entry level Nebbiolo wines that don’t meet the requirements of Barolo or Barbaresco.
This is mostly sourced from younger vines in various vineyards in Verduno but it can include some declassified Barolo too. 10 months in neutral Slavonian and French oak. 833 cases made. This was about $30 in Chile, so probably less in Europe.
Floral, red fruit, easy drinking, medium body, with some savory spice and medium+ acid. Easy drinking Nebbiolo, fruit driven with some spice (typical of Verduno Nebbiolo) but enough structure to drink with fatty foods too. 91
2020 Arpepe Rosso di Valtellina Lombardy
Valtellina is in the northern part of Lombardy, close to the Swiss border by the Alps. Given the higher elevation and cooler temperatures, Nebbiolo from this region tend to be lighter, but they still have a lot of the typical notes one finds in Piedmont Nebbiolo. Arpepe is the most famous producer from this region, especially for Nebbiolo.
Fermented with native yeasts. Aged a short period in old chestnut oak and cement. About $45 in Chile. Wines from this region aren’t easy to find even in larger markets.
Lighter color. A little more red fruit and brighter than the Langhe. Some spice and floral notes too. Lighter bodied. Also more savory, especially on the nose. Some tar. Doesn’t have the tannic structure of many Nebbiolo for long term aging, but it’s tasty now. 91
2020 Ravelo y Rabelo Seiku Maule
There are only a few varietal Nebbiolos being produced in Chile. Besides this one, Estampa, Cremaschi Furlotti, La Prometida and Boltacura make varietal Nebbiolo. Chilean Sangiovese is more common than Nebbiolo. Nebbiolo is more a novelty variety here such as Chilean Montepulciano, Sagrantino and others.
100% Nebbiolo. Fermented in tinajas (clay vessels). Unfiltered. Natural winemaking. Only 650 bottles made. This was bottled at Wildmakers in Pihuchen Marchique. Only $15.
Some natural wine characteristics that come from native yeasts. Tastes like a low intervention wine from Maule or Itata. Nothing off though. More oxidative, a lot less acid than the Italian Nebbiolos. Darker fruit. Riper fruit. Spice. Quite smooth at this stage with a touch of alcohol at the back end. When I first tasted this a couple of years, it was brighter and more tannic but with a fairly light body, which gave it more Nebbiolo characteristics but now it’s hard to tell it’s Nebbiolo except a bit from the lighter color and body. I also had the 2021 of this and it was more like how the 2020 is now, but I prefer how this was 2 years ago. I’m not sure if they added sulfur since it’s a natural wine, but that could affect how it develops with age. 88
2016 Villa Guelpa Sizzano
Sizzano is a small Piedmont appellation that also grows Nebbiolo, but there it is called Spanna. It’s a cooler sub-region, so the Nebbiolo here tends to be lighter and simpler than in Barolo or Barbaresco.
70% Nebbiolo and 30% Vespolina. The Vespolina helps to soften the tannins of Nebbiolo and bring some spicy aromatics. Destemmed, natural yeasts, and 11 days of maceration. 2 years in large Slovenian oak. This was originally $30.
Darker than the other Piedmont wines, less acid but medium acid overall. Tobacco. Spice. Rounder. But some floral notes typical of Piedmont Nebbiolo. Despite being a cooler region, perhaps the Vespolina has rounded out some of the acidity and tannins. 90
2017 Aeris Bricco Rosso Centennial Mountain Vineyard Sonoma
This comes from cult California producer Rhys. I reviewed one of their Pinot Noirs, which is what they’re most famous for. The owner himself is a wine geek, so he spent a long time researching the terroir and winemaking practices of his favorite regions like Burgundy, Piedmont and Etna to try to make similar wines in California. He also gets help from local producers from those regions. Since he loves both Piedmont and Etna, this is a blend of mostly Nebbiolo but with other Italian varieties.
50% Nebbiolo, 15% Nerello Mascalese, 15% Nerello Capuccio (Carignane), 15% Primitivo and 5% Barbera. 100% destemmed. Native yeasts. 20 months in a mix of different sized neutral oak barrels and casks. Rhys has a partnership with Salvo Foti in Etna and Gianpiero Romana in Piedmont. They also make a Carricante grown on Centennial Mountain in Sonoma. Only 625 cases made. This was $37.
Darker color. Darker fruit. Round and the most creamy so far. Fuller. A bit of heat on the backend. Chalky tannins. I was hoping this would be more on the red fruit side with higher acid-more northern Italy, but nobody guessed this was from Italy. I’ve had Rhys Pinot which was more Burgundy-like, but this definitely felt New World and not particularly Nebbiolo. At the same time, it’s still a good wine. Obviously there’s all the other varieties too, and it has some age to it. To state the obvious, it tastes like a California wine, but not with Bordeaux varieties. More akin to a more modern styled California Pinot. 90
2020 Bodegas Henri Lurton Le Nebbiolo San Vicente Valley Valle de Guadalupe Mexico
This comes from the owner of Brane-Cantenac in Margaux, Bordeaux. The winemaker is Lourdes Martinez Ojeda, who worked at Brane-Cantenac for 10 years before heading up the winemaking for them in her home region in Baja California. Varietal Nebbiolo is not uncommon in the Valle de Guadalupe, but it still only makes up about 5% of the wine there.
Aged 9 months in 100% French oak, 50% of which was new.
Darkest color of all the Nebbiolos. Could be Syrah or Cabernet. Funky nose with oak. Sauvage. Some tar. Ripe, dark and round palate. Medium-low acid. Licorice. Soft tannins, but structured. Again, nobody thought this was Italian Nebbiolo, but a solid wine overall with an exotic nose and more modern Bordeaux like palate although my experience with Brane Cantenac is as a more classic Margaux. 90
2010 Pio Cesare Barolo
Pio Cesare is a well-known producer in Barolo. They lean more classic in style, but they also have some use of barrique and make single vineyard expressions of Barolo. This entry level Barolo is more classic in that it combines several vineyards, uses large botti and has a fairly long maceration time.
100% Nebbiolo. The grapes are sourced from Serralunga d’Alba (Ornato, La Serra and Briccolina), Grinzane Cavour (Gustava and Garretti), La Morra (Roncaglie), and Novello (Ravera). Vinification takes place in stainless steel with a 25-30 day maceration. It’s aged 30 months in large French oak botti with a bit of barriques. Nowadays, this sells for $50-60+
Typical nose of rose and smokey tar. Some zest. Some sign of age in the color although Nebbiolo after a few years tends to look orange, brickish. Some citrus, orange peel. Starting to get secondary and minor tertiary notes too. Some spice and mushroom. A little warm on the backend. Still feels like it needs to integrate a little more. Others wanted more fruit and had a hard time identifying where this was from, so maybe it’s an awkward stage or is past its prime a bit. My guess is the former given the producer, region, vintage and variety. Maybe it’s a little darker than some with a little more oak influence, and the tannins have rounded out, but it’s still Piedmont Nebbiolo to me. 91+
Conclusion
Although I tried to have an open mind, I still gravitated towards the Italian Nebbiolo. The age, winemaking, terroir and blends (for some of the wines) obviously influenced the characteristics of each wine, so it was a fun exercise since each Nebbiolo was distinct. Some of the non-Italian versions had some aspects of Nebbiolo, but were clearly not Italian. I still wanted more acidity in the non-Italian ones. The Mexican Nebbiolo was the least classic Nebbiolo of all of them, but perhaps that’s what Mexican Nebbiolo tastes like. I hadn’t tried any before. However, I’m trying not to judge its overall quality based on my expectations of what Nebbiolo should taste like, which has been based on almost all Piedmont Nebbiolo. Yet, I admit I prefer the classic Piedmont style the most with the smaller appellations making nice bargain, early drinking versions and Barolos/Barbarescos being more profound and majestic. The non-Italian ones are good, but I would just change the food pairing for them compared to what you’d typically pair with Piedmont Nebbiolo.