2007 Langhe Nebbiolo Perbacco

I sampled a mind-boggling array of outstanding – and often profound – wines in my marathon tasting session with proprietor and winemaker Luca Currado. The 2006 Barolos are nothing short of spectacular and the 2007s may be even better! Readers can check out notes on those wines in my recent feature on the estate posted on this site. I should note that Vietti plans to release a 2006 Barolo Riserva Villero, but that wine is years from seeing the light of day. The Barolos are vinified in stainless steel, then racked into French oak for the malolactic fermentation, where the wines remain for a few months. The majority of aging takes place in medium-sized casks. Over the last few years, the use of French oak has become more measured and the Barolos are now among the elite wines of the region in virtually every vintage. In short, there seems to be no end to this estate's ambition. Frankly I wish there were more wineries setting their sights on this level of quality.

My annual tasting at Vietti typically encompasses 20+ Barolos from all of the vintages that are in barrel plus one or two in bottle. Year in year out, this is one of the most fascinating and educational tastings I do, as the wines are always incredibly representative of their respective vintages and terrains. The focus of this article was originally intended to be a close look at the individual component wines in the 2007 Barolo Castiglione, but all of Vietti's 2007s are so extraordinary it seemed a shame to leave them out. I can't think of too many estates in Piedmont that have raised the bar higher than Vietti has over the last decade or so. Virtually every wine that emerges from these cellars is outstanding, and many are profound. Winemaker Luca Currado, his brother-in-law Mario Cordero and their staff have taken the early groundbreaking work of Alfredo and Lucia Currado and built upon those successes, reaching an unprecedented level of consistency and quality across their entire range. Vietti is the only estate in Piedmont to own vineyards in all eleven of the Barolo-producing villages. Many of the parcels are located in the region's most historic and pedigreed sites. Currado crops his vineyards to low yields and is typically one of the earliest producers to harvest. All of the Nebbiolo vineyards are farmed, vinified and aged with the intent of making Barolo. Fermentation takes place in stainless steel. The wines are then racked into French oak barrels for the malolactic fermentations and finally moved into casks for aging, all of which vary from vineyard to vineyard. For example, of the single-vineyard Barolos the Brunate sees the shortest period of contact on the skins, the Rocche the longest. Similarly, the Lazzarito generally spends 3-4 months longer in French oak than the other Barolos. Prior to bottling, all of the individual lots are tasted and divided into three distinct selections according to quality. The third and most basic selection goes into the Langhe Nebbiolo Perbacco, a wine that Luca Currado created with the intention of offering an affordable, entry-level Nebbiolo. Perbacco is a Barolo in everything but name….and price tag. All of the fruit from these Barolo-designated vineyards is vinified and aged in the same fashion as the more important parcels in the estate's collection. With just one more month in bottle prior to being released, Perbacco could be entitled to carry the Barolo DOCG. At roughly $25 retail, it is one of the finest values readers will come across from any region.