Meet the Producer: La Spinetta, Piedmont, Italy

Wonderful master class organized by Enotria&Coe at the London Wine Fair 2022 to illustrate the wines of La Spinetta, on of the best producers in their portfolio.

La Spinetta started out producing moscato and it became so famous people would ask for a "spinetta" when ordering the famous piedmontese wine.

In 1995 they began using the "Gallina" vineyard to produce nebbiolo

Now all production is organic, back to tradition. Still uses horses to plow some of the fields like the family's grandfather used to do when he worked in Argentina in the 1950s.

Use green harvesting (prune up to 75% of bunches) to keep quality high

In 1980s most producers sold grapes to large companies, only a few began their own productions. In this they learned from the lessons of Burgundy.

Low yield of 4-6k bottles per hectare. 3k? Check

Giorgio Rivetti, featured in the Barolo Boys film, together with others, like Scavino, Sandrone, tried to make Barolo more likable, pleasant to more people and sooner, rather than the difficult wine requiring long aging of earlier times.

The iconic rhino on the label comes from a creation of German artist Dürer, who drew it without ever having seen a real rhino. For Giorgio Rivetti this was a symbol of how imagination can lead to results beyond expectations. It is in this vein that he started making Timorasso, a unique white variety in Piedmont.

Dürer: Rhinoceros

The lion which is present on other labels is a symbol of royalty, as Barolo is considered "the king of wines and the wine of kings" after its early association with Vittorio Emanuele II, the founder of the modern Italian unitary state.

Tasting notes

Timorasso Colli Tortonesi 2020, timorasso 100%

Made from grapes picked from 25-year-old vines.

De-stemming and soft pressing, then fermentation in steel and rest on lees for eight months. Fresh and citrusy with lots of minerality, exalted by the absence of any oak. Mod length. The vineyard is in Tortona, hence the name. Spinetta suggests this wine can age a lot, up to 15 years, because of its acidity. Low yield, no more than 3,000 bottles per hectare (max allowed is 8,000).

Score 90

Barolo Campè 2018, nebbiolo 100%

Made from grapes picked from 70-year-old vines!

Maceration and fermentation in vats for 10 days, then malolactic in French oak, 20% new. Finally 24 months of aging before a further nine months in bottle. Intense aromas welcome the start of the tasting, and compex red fruit flavors make for a structured,  complex and long wine. Perfect balance, everything is in its right place, a harmonious wine.

Score 94

Barbaresco Bordini 2019, nebbiolo 100%

Old vines, average age 40 years.

Maceration and fermentation in vats for 14 days, malo in French oak then 16 months of aging.

An intense and powerful wine with prominent tannins, could use more time in the bottle.

Score 88

Barbaresco Valeirano 2017, nebbiolo 100%

Made from grapes picked from 55-year-old vines.

Complexity and power, yet a velvety elegance are the features of this wine. Still young, it will be perfect in 15 years, or longer. Small yield, less than one bottle per plant of vine.

Score 92

Barbaresco Valeirano 2007, nebbiolo 100%

Made from grapes picked from 55-year-old vines.

Back ten years from the previous wine and we have a perfectly mature vintage. Yeet it could wait a bit longer but it is marvelously ready now.

Score 96

Barolo Campè 2008

Made from grapes picked from 70-year-old vines!

An old master with nothing to prove, but past its prime, it would have been better to drink this a few years back.

Score 90

Giorgio Rivetti

Nebbiolo Day in London by Hunt and Speller

In company of the great Alessandro Masnaghetti

Another great tasting of nebbiolo organized magnificently by Hunt and Speller of London in the Royal Horticultural Society, a habitual venue for sommelier in the capital.

Nebbiolo is synonym of Piemonte (Piedmont) of course and of Barolo and Barbaresco, the two iconic wines of the region. But it is more that than. It is grown in adjacent regions and it is vinified in a variety of ways. 

I even found a sparkling wine, produced with the traditional method and light pressing of the grapes, for a final rosé result.

The highlight of the day were the three masterclasses, see some notes below.

The most curious novelty, for me at least, was a sparkling wine made with lightly pressed nebbiolo by  Casina Bric.  Il Nebbiolo d'Alba spumante dates back to 1970, and is the 3rd "spumante" DOC awarded in Italy, though the vineyard goes back to napoleonic times. Delicate aromas and med body. Score 85

Masterclass N. 1: Barbaresco, with Alessandro Masnaghetti

The life of Barbaresco turns around the Tanaro river. On the left bank sandy soil, it is more difficult to grow nebbiolo. On the right bank clay, results in a more tannic and structured wine.

DOC received in 1967 for about 200 hectares, the area grew to 500 hectares by the 1990s and it is now close to 800.

Four "comuni": Barbaresco, Neive, Alba and Treiso, each with its own distinctive features.

Younger soil on steep slopes, less sedimentation, richer in nutrition for the vines. "Evolved" soil on smoother slopes, more sedimentation results  in accumulation of more nutrition.

Generally rounder, more elegant products compared to Barolo. (Barolo producers may not agree.)

1. Poderi Colla Roncaglie 2018

Light garnet color, lively tannins. Moderate balance but lacks somewhat in structure. I can feel the alcohol, a more traditional winemaking?

Score 82

2. Pio Cesare, Il Bricco 2018

Full garnet color, oaky nose and palate. Complex and long and well balanced. Stereotypical smooth and full bodied barbaresco.

Score 90

3. Giuseppe Cortese, Rabajà 2018

Deep garnet, full body,  round and smooth. Very long. A masterpiece. Ready now, hard to say how much it could still improve.

Score 94

4. Albino Rocca, Ronchi 2018

Full, round wine, ripe fruit and long finish. Also ready now, no reason to wait.

Score 94

5. Cantina del Pino, Orvello 2018

Ruby color with garnet highlights. Still a bit rough but a very structured wine with promising evolution. For lovers of traditional nebbiolo with no concessions to modern smoother taste.

Score 95

6. Adriano Marco e Vittorio basarin, 2018

Amazingly complex and round wine, full of nuances, very long finish

Score 96

Masterclass N. 2: Valtellina, Alto Piemonte and Roero with Walter Speller

Nebbiolo as a grape has been documented since the XVI century, and has been a protagonist in northern Italy for longer. However it has not been possible to find its parent grapes as they probably died out over time.

Most people focus on the tannins of Barolo, but this is not entirely fair: one should pay more attention to BALANCE!

1. Arpepe, Rosso di Valtellina 2020

Tingling, fresh, lively, mod balance and length.

Score 85.

2. Dirupi, Gess 2017 Valtellina Superiore Grumello Riserva

Smooth and balanced, mod long.

Score88

3. Nino Negri, Sfursat Carlo Negri 2018 Sforzato di Valtellina

Round, long. Called the "son of the wind" because it is picked in early October and then dries 100 days in boxes in a "fruttaio". No control of temperature or humidity. Then pressed in December when below zero. And blended with grapes taken from the vines, so it is actually two separate harvests mixed together. A mix of amarone and late harvest / icewine style.

Score 92

4. Cantine Garrone, Prünent 2019 Valli Ossolane Nebbiolo Superiore

Powerful, balanced and long.

Score 94.

5. Antoniotti Odilio 2018 Bramaterra

Dark garnet, fermented in 120-years-old cement tanks! No temperature control.

Full bodied, majestic wine.

Score 95

6. Le Pianelle 2016 Bramaterra

Dark garnet, a balanced wine with complexity and a long finish.

Score 92

7. Travaglini 2016 Gattinara Riserva

North Piedmont, cooler areas and windy. Unique bottle, dates back to 1958. Apparently Charles V loved this wine...  Touch of bitter, great length. nebbiolo is called "spanna" in this part of Piedmont.

Score 95

8. Hilberg Pasquero SUl MOnte 2016 Nebbiolo d'Alba

Needs time to round the tannins, a powerful structured wine with huge potential.

Score 93

Alessandro Masnaghetti

Masterclass N. 3: Barolo, with Alessandro Masnaghetti

1. Diego Morra, Monvigliero 2018

Fresh and harsh, needs a long time to mature.

Score 83

2. Ceretto, Brunate 2018

Still needs time but I can feel a huge potential once the rough edges and rounded out a bit. Typical Brunate according to Masnaghetti, with a touch of unmistakable and pleasant bitterness. A powerful wine.

Score 90

3. G.D. Vajra, Bricco delle Viole 2018

Round and still with good potential.

Score 92

4. Rocche di Castiglione, Brovia 2018

Smooth, long and with powerful tannins, needs time.

Score 94

5. G. Fenocchio, Villero 2018

Grande vino, it screams for more time to evolve but it is already amazingly powerful, round and long now.

Score 96

6. Diego Conterno, Ginestra 2018

Score 94

7. Ettore Germano, Prapo 2018

Great balance, harmony!

Score 98

8. Grimaldi Bruna, Badarina 2018

Perfect balance velvet complexity and and incredible length.

Score 98 

Tasting Piemonte

Some impressions from a tasting in London. Mostly 2011 to 2014, many Barolo and a few Barbaresco. 

Tendency is a return to traditional wine making approach, American excessive globalized taste of too much wood no longer in fashion though many still like it. 

Chinese buying land in Piedmont, even if follow rules and traditions it is not the same because locals...take the money and run. Now it becomes strictly business, passion is lost. Some Chinese buyers buzzing around at tasting today. 

Overall, UK Rrp for single vineyard Barolo start at 50 gbp and up. Barbaresco 35. nebbiolo generico da 15, Dolcetto 10.

2010 e 2013 ottime annate, solo il 2016 supererà, grandi attese. 2011 e 2015 buone, 12 e 14 difficili. 

Migliori produttori di oggi sono Conterno e Scavino.

Conterno ci ha anche aperto un 2008 (RRP 58 GBP) e un 2010 (fuori di testa a 122 GBP), entrambi in via di maturazione ma ancora giovani.

Scavino grande gamma, Bric del Fiasc si conferma, ma non c'era rocche dell'Annunziata perché 2014 non lo hanno prodotto. Il "Novantesimo", blend del 2011 per 90° anniversario fondazione della casa, non vale RRP 212!! Ci ha aperto un 2006 Cannubi, e un 2006 Carobric, quasi pronti, il Cannubi vale i 64 GBP. Il nebbiolo langhe base di Scavino a 17 GBP è un affare.

Fratelli Brovia buon lavoro, il brolo villero 2013 a 65 GBP è caro ma molto armonioso.

Voerzio troppo caro, RRP oltre i 180 GBP!!

Buono il Monvigliero di Verduno 2011 a RRP 54 GBP

Ottimi i Barbaresco 2014 di Piero Busso sui 40 GBP. Barbaresco can be much better value than Barolo.