Many Italian grape varieties are native to a single region. Some are native to a single province. And then there are grapes like Piedmont’s Nascetta, which is mostly confined to a single town: Novello, in the Barolo region. Now that’s what I call drinking local—but the more important question is, are we drinking well? If crisp, mineral, aromatic white wines are your thing (think Loire Sauvignon Blanc meets Ligurian Vermentino), then I’d say yes, indeed.
Diego Conterno is one of a handful of Nascetta producers in Piedmont, and like most of his contemporaries, he has a star attraction in his Barolo to help draw attention to his bit-player white. Some experts believe Nascetta to be Piedmont’s truest indigenous white grape (I don’t think there’s a connection but the Italian verb nascere means “to be born”), more so than even the ascendant star Timorasso and the old warhorses Arneis and Cortese. I’m less focused on Nascetta’s rarity and more on the fact that it’s the white of choice for many Barolo-makers: It is probably the most aromatically intriguing of all the Piedmontese natives, with lots of racy freshness and mineral saltiness to grab your attention. It’s got mine!
And to give credit where due: The Sauvignon Blanc-meets-Vermentino depiction comes from Ian D’Agata’s “Native Wine Grapes of Italy,” a book I’ve cited countless times in SommSelect offers. Also known as Nas-cëtta, or Anascetta, this indigenous Piedmontese variety has grown somewhat in popularity but is still an extremely niche item—only about a dozen producers make any significant commercial quantities from it. D’Agata goes as far as to ascribe some Riesling-like qualities to the grape, but more than anything, it’s a “balsamic minty note,” like that of Vermentino, that is the key marker for him. Vermentino does indeed grow in the Langhe region (where it’s called Favorita), but there doesn’t appear to be any connection between it and Nascetta.
Some subscribers may remember our recent offer of Diego Conterno’s Barolo from the acclaimed “Ginestra” cru. This celebrated vineyard in the village of Monforte d’Alba, a Barolo “Grand Cru” if there ever was one, is the heart of the Conterno operation: Diego grew up in this vineyard, and in 1982, he and his cousin, Claudio, were part of the team that established the Conterno-Fantino winery. Their family has owned vines in the Ginestra cru for more than 150 years, and when Diego sold his stake in Conterno-Fantino in 2000 and struck out on his own, he took with him a few long-held family plots, including some of those prized Ginestra vines.
Now assisted by his son, Stefano, who came aboard in 2010, Diego now has a recently renovated winery to work from, along with 7.5 hectares of Certified Organic vineyards. Today’s wine hails partly from Ginestra and partly from an estate plot called “Ferrione,” both of which feature the classic Barolo mix of limestone/clay marl and sandstone. Grapes are hand-harvested and the wine is fermented on ambient yeasts in stainless steel tanks, where it then ages for about six months before bottling. Malolactic fermentation is blocked to maintain as much primary fruit freshness and racy acidity as possible, resulting in an aromatic white with some of the electricity of a dry Mosel Riesling.
A pale straw-gold in the glass, it strays away from Riesling aromatically, displaying a more citrusy, green-herb character. Aromas of white grapefruit, lemon/lime, mint, rosemary, and wet stones carry over to the medium-bodied palate, and while those fruit sensations will likely skew more tropical with time, this wine is designed to be enjoyed young. Pull the cork about 15 minutes before service in all-purpose stems and you’re good to go: My first thought for a pairing is a classic pesto sauce from Piedmont’s neighbor, Liguria. If you’re going to drink local, might as well eat local, too. Enjoy!
