Colline Novaresi Nebbiolo

Historically, Nebbiolo has been vinified in two opposing techniques; One way consists of long maceration and then undergoes aging in large, old oak barrels, and the other implicates the use of aging in new oak to soften the harshness of the tannin. Le Piane leans towards the former method. When I think Nebbiolo, I always think autumn. I rarely reach for it in the summer, and I’m always worried I haven’t given the wine enough time to mature before I decide to open it. Le Piane’s wines were a bit of an epiphany for me, in that they were the first time I tried a Nebbiolo that wasn’t masochistic and absurdly tough to drink (this was very early on in my career.) They are delicate and wandering, easy to sit and reminisce upon.