Vinum Vitae Est Langhe Nebbiolo DOC 2023

Product Info

Langhe Nebbiolo is the earlier-drinking sibling of Barolo, offering the grape's signature perfume and structure in a more approachable style. This Vinum Vitae Est bottling is 100% Nebbiolo grown on calcareous clay soils, hand-harvested in October. It is destemmed and fermented on the skins for six to eight days at a controlled 26-28°C with frequent pump-overs, completes malolactic fermentation and rests three to four months in tank before bottling.

The colour is a bright ruby red. The nose shows small red fruits with spicy notes, and the palate is dry, harmonious and elegant with good structure and the savoury, rose-petal character Nebbiolo is known for. At 14.5% ABV it has real presence, yet the tannins are far more forgiving than in a young Barolo. The cooperative's Langhe Nebbiolo has scored 90 points in recent vintages.

Serve at 18-20°C. It suits tagliatelle with meat or porcini mushroom sauce, grilled red and white meats, game and medium-mature cheeses, and is a great way to meet Nebbiolo before stepping up to Barolo.

About the producer

Terre del Barolo is a growers' cooperative based in Castiglione Falletto, founded in 1958 by local schoolteacher and mayor Arnaldo Rivera. Today around 300 member growers farm more than 600 hectares across the eleven villages of the Barolo appellation, and every wine is made exclusively from Langhe grapes. Vinum Vitae Est ("wine is life"), or VVE, is the cooperative's signature range.

About the region

The Langhe sits in Piedmont, in Italy's north-west, around the town of Alba. Its steep, rolling vineyard hills are home to Nebbiolo, Barbera and Dolcetto, and the area is recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage wine landscape.