This wine has become one of our customers’ most beloved Italian reds. We know that when we offer Antonello Rovelletti’s Nebbiolo-based wines from the northern Piemontese village of Ghemme, we will soon receive many emails regaling us with tales of how incredible the wine is, and asking if we can locate more.
It’s no surprise, in a market flooded with overpriced often underwhelming Barolo and Barbaresco, Rovellotti is a monument of quality, value, and tradition. Antonello Rovellotti’s Ghemme is the last of a dying breed, a rare glimpse into Nebbiolo’s bygone golden era. I believe it is equal, if not superior, to many of this most prestigious Barolos. I’ve enjoyed many life-changing Barolos from the 1960’s, and this wine is one of the only contemporary expressions of Nebbiolo that comes close to approximating their unique character and greatness. This is a timeless, breathtaking wine which is ready to drink now, but will only get better and better each year in your cellar.
Antonello Rovellotti lives in the small village appellation of Ghemme that hugs Piemonte’s northern border with Switzerland. Ghemme is centered around a sprawling, multi-city block-sized castle built in the 1100’s and Antonello is the only winemaker still permitted to work in the original structure. His “winery” is little more than a collection of trap doors, lofts, and crawl spaces hidden all over the castle. Despite the miniscule production volume here, it takes numerous key rings and an hour of exploring and climbing ladders to see the entire operation. And while Antonello is a gifted and experienced winemaker, and his vines are among the village’s oldest and most prized, the real story with Rovellotti is his vinification. Simply put, these wines are made the long and hard way. Grapes are macerated for longer than any other property I’ve ever visited in Piemonte and the wines are released after a minimum of seven years in barrel and bottle. Most modern wine producers aren’t willing to defer profits for that long so they cut corners and make wines in a style that can be released sooner. Rovellotti is the opposite—these wines are still produced exactly as they were in the 1960’s.
The 2008 Rovellotti Ghemme “Chioso dei Pomi” is a region-defining expression of Nebbiolo. In the sub-alpine foothills lining Italy’s northern border with Switzerland, it gets no more impressive and regal than this bottle. The wine shows its eight years of evolution with a translucent crimson center dissolving transition into crimson-brown hues at the rim. Black currant, black plum, red berries, blood orange peel, violets blossoms, white pepper, white and black truffles, crushed white stone and pipe tobacco aromas erupt from the glass. As always with Rovellotti, the palate is a medium- to full-bodied work of art. Each texture and detail maintain its personality while still being woven perfectly into the complete picture of the greater wine. Antonello is clearly a master with the Nebbiolo variety. Please decant for 2 hours, serve in large Burgundy stems, and know that this wine is an ideal companion to your next Winter feast. Standing rib roast, Osso Bucco, or beef short ribs would be flattered by the power and beauty of this wine. Rovellotti Ghemme is a historic wine that exists in its own class, and this bottle will improve for another decade at least. I have already protected a case of this outstanding 2008 vintage for my own collection, and anyone who does the same will be rewarded with word class wine at an extremely modest price for years to come. Cheers!
