Nebbiolo

Nebbiolo is one of the wine world’s most paradoxical grapes, pale in colour yet immensely powerful, delicate in aroma yet structurally formidable. Native to Piemonte and most famously responsible for Barolo and Barbaresco, it thrives on the region’s marl and limestone slopes, bathed in autumn fog (nebbia) from which it takes its name. Its perfume is unmistakable: roses, violets, red cherry, tar, truffle, and a fine, earthy spice that feels at once ethereal and profound. High acidity and assertive tannins give it a sculpted frame, allowing the wine to age for decades while slowly revealing its extraordinary depth.

What makes Nebbiolo so captivating is its tension, an interplay of beauty and grit. In its cooler or higher-altitude sites, it becomes more lifted and floral; in warmer south-facing plots, it grows darker, denser, and more brooding. Outside the Langhe, expressions from Alto Piemonte (Gattinara, Ghemme, Bramaterra) show a more Alpine freshness, while Valtellina in Lombardy offers a lighter, almost Burgundian grace. Winemakers often keep oak use restrained, letting the grape’s haunting aromatics take centre stage. At its best, Nebbiolo is profound and poetic, a wine that rewards patience, invites contemplation, and delivers a sensory journey like no other.