Every time we have the opportunity to showcase “Chioso dei Pomi,” a steady barrage of text messages, emails, and phone calls always follow: People want Antonello Rovellotti! Accordingly, we’ve grown accustomed to the enthusiasm that accompanies these Nebbiolo-based reds, but we had no idea an unforeseeable shortage would cause such frenzy—two years have passed since we were last able to offer this rare label! In a market flooded with expensive, young-release Barolo/Barbaresco, canny minds look north to the isolated yet increasingly buzzed-about appellation of Ghemme, but the smartest of buyers seek out micro-producer Rovellotti—a monument of value, quality, and tradition.
When their importer asked how long the family had owned the property, their one-word response spoke volumes: “Forever.” As I found out when I visited last year, eleven generations can be documented here, but archives aside, they conservatively put it around 20. This is genuine, hand-crafted Nebbiolo made by a staunch traditionalist and “Chioso dei Pomi” is the absolute peak. This 2012, their current release, is a powerful, thought-provoking red that has just entered a decades-long drinking window. That’s the magical power of Rovellotti’s prestigious Ghemme. Take what you can because another two years may pass before we can offer one of these gorgeous gems again!
Ghemme belongs to the greater Alto Piemonte, the more northerly part of Italy’s Piedmont region, not far from the Monte Rosa Massif. Clustered around the Sesia River north of the city of Novara, the assorted wine appellations of the Alto Piemonte are prime hunting ground for extreme Nebbiolo values, and Ghemme has proved especially fertile. But there just isn’t much to be had: The geographic boundaries of the appellation are already quite small, but the number of planted acres here is shockingly low (there’s a reason this wine is so hard to obtain!) Further, like Barolo and Barbaresco, Ghemme is classified as a DOCG—the “G” standing for garantita, or guaranteed—which is the highest “quality indicator” in the Italian appellation system.
Antonello Rovellotti lives in the small village of Ghemme, which is centered around a sprawling castle built in the 1100s; 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 minuscule 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, for me the real story with Rovellotti is his vinification.
Antonello is not afraid of making wine the hard (and long) way. His grapes are macerated on their skins and left on lees for a mind-boggling amount of time, and after maturing for dozens of months in neutral barrels, along with heaps of additional time in bottle, six years have passed. Remember, today’s 2012 is the current release of Chioso dei Pomi! Most modern wine producers—even in top-dollar regions like Burgundy or Barolo—aren’t willing to defer profits for that long. Rovellotti is crafting Piedmontese Nebbiolo much like it was in the 1960s.
Rovellotti’s current release of “Chioso dei Pomi” shines with classic two-toned Nebbiolo hues: dark ruby in the center with a hazy orange tinge on the outer rim. Even with seven years of aging under its belt, this still has a long time before reaching the ultimate savory peak. With an hour in the decanter, notes of plums, strawberries, sour cherries, and dried raspberry sing with tightly coiled power alongside savory components that steal the spotlight—vintage leather, crushed violet, tobacco, truffle, herbs, dried rose petal potpourri, and turned earth. PSA: These wines are not ‘fruit-forward’! They are genuine expressions of the Ghemme’s ancient glacial/red clay soils, which translates into a terroir-heavy, powerfully aromatic wine that tells a long, detailed story with each sip. For collectors, today’s 2012 also offers a surprisingly affordable way to improve the breadth and power of your Italian library—this will exist comfortably alongside your off-limits Burgundy and Bordeaux for the next 10-20 years! If drinking now (a brilliant idea, given this wine’s maturity), pull the cork a few hours prior to service or decant for 60+ minutes. Serve around 60-65 degrees in large Burgundy stems and match it alongside a savory dish that doesn’t skimp on earthy flavors. Cheers!
