2022 Langhe Nebbiolo Montegrilli

I really struggled with these new releases from Elvio Cogno. For many years, Cogno has been among the top producers in Piedmont, especially once they pulled away from the more extracted approach favored by many estates in the 1990s and moved towards a more transparent style. In recent years, Cogno has begun using a large amount whole clusters in their Barolos. It’s a risky proposition. Ravera, where Cogno is based, is a distinctive and tricky site. I am not sure it is ideally suited to whole clusters, although I have some thoughts. In nearly 25 years of tasting Piedmont wines, I have learned that producers who use whole clusters typically need a number of years and considerable experimentation to dial in stem inclusion. For now, the Cogno wines have taken several steps back in terms of quality. The wines taste dried out and empty. Perhaps quality will improve, but that will take time. I tasted these wines twice, once at the winery in November 2023 and then in my office in May 2024.