Nebbiolo lovers (myself included) know that many of the best values and some of the most incredible wine drinking experiences happen when you go outside the world famous zones of Barolo and Barbaresco. Often that means traveling many miles north to the Alpine foothills of Alto Piemonte, but today we’re going just a few miles up, following the course of the Tanero river to Roero. Here you find the Damonte family, who have been making world class Nebbiolo for three generations. All their wines are amazing values anyway you slice it, but this discovery really is mind blowing: A library release, direct from their cellars via their U.S. importer, and it happens to be from the phenomenal 2010 vintage. Oh, and it is one of their top, single vineyard riservas to boot! This bottle will go toe to toe with any similarly pedigreed Barolo, but it costs one third, or one fourth the price. And that’s the rub: World class Nebbiolo, top rated vintage, sub $60. You know what to do.
There are subtle differences that distinguish the Roero and Barolo appellations, both of which are DOCGs (the “G” for “guaranteed” denomination of origin). They sit on opposite sides of the Tanaro in similar clay/limestone marls, but Roero’s overall contain a higher percentage of sand. Roero requires a minimum of 95% Nebbiolo for a wine to carry the name, while Barolo, of course, is 100%. Roero’s minimum aging requirements, including the minimum time a wine must be aged in barrels, are shorter as well.
But Malvirà’s “Renesio,” so named for a single vineyard rooted in clay and limestone, erases all differences and goes head-to-head with its more-famous neighbor. Recognized as a superior single vineyard, or cru, since the 15th century, it contains Malvirà’s oldest Nebbiolo vines (60 years). The Renesio bottling is 100% Nebbiolo aged 24 months in French oak barrels and 12 months in bottle before release, capturing all the heady aroma and focused power of this noble variety.
The Damonte family established the Malvirà estate in the 1950s, and, operating out of the village of Canale, have expanded their vineyard holdings to an impressive 42 hectares (a good size for this part of the world). Brothers Massimo and Roberto Damonte run the property with the help of their wives and children, and with a restaurant and boutique hotel on the property, they’ve become the “destination winery” of the Roero zone.
From the moment the bottle is opened, the 2010 “Renesio” announces itself as a wine of impeccable pedigree. In the glass, a deep crimson core leads to a classic brick orange with hints of pink rim, while a fascinating assortment of aromas leap from the glass: dried cherries, wild strawberries, blood orange, sandalwood, rose petals, leather, tobacco, and damp autumn leaves. Bottle age has sanded the tannins down to a fine grain, while ample freshness keeps Nebbiolo’s higher alcohol in check. Where the maturity of the wine really becomes apparent is on the multi-layered palate and the long, long finish. When you sip this wine, you can’t help but close your eyes in reverie, as if listening to music, and it only gets better with more time open (a good sign for further evolution still to come). Let this rest a bit after you receive it and then let it rip—at this price, no extra-special occasion is required—at 60 degrees in large Burgundy stems. I’d suggest decanting it 45 minutes prior to service (watching out for sediment) and a pairing that highlights the wine’s pretty, perfumed fruit and firm, fat-cutting structure. If you’re in the mood for something highly authentic and a little decadent, get the best beef you can afford for tartare and, ideally, some black or white truffle to shave on top. Now that is a feast fit for a Nebbiolo champion!
