Langhe Nebbiolo is really having a moment, and as such you may have noticed that we’ve offered more than a few over the recent years. That said, I don’t think anything we’ve put out there previously can offer the same combination of pedigree and value as today’s absolute stunner from Giacomo Fenocchio. The secret is that all the fruit comes from Barolo, and mostly from the famous cru of Bussia–it just happens that the vines are on the younger side and mostly facing north, so presto: Barolo elegance and power at Langhe pricing! This is especially true of the robust, warm, and generally excellent 2021 vintage. Warming temperatures are an issue everywhere, but for the moment they are really benefiting these formerly overlooked sites in Piedmont. Nebbiolo lovers, and anyone who loves getting way more than you pay for, stock up!
The Giacomo Fenocchio family has been farming grapes in Monforte d’Alba since 1894, but it was fourth generation Giacomo who started to focus entirely on estate bottled wines in 1964. Tragically he passed away in 1989, leaving his 25 year old son Claudio to pick up the pieces and carry on the family tradition. To say he was up to the task is an understatement. In the past three decades Claudio has taken a very good estate with top tier vineyards and made it into one of the most lauded in all of Barolo. He’s regularly mentioned alongside the giants of traditionalism here–Conterno, Mascarello, Rinaldi–and with good cause: Claudio has never strayed from the old-school methods of maceration and aging in large, neutral Slavonian oak casks. His wines are now famous all over the world for their elegance and terroir transparency.
Monforte d’Alba is a special subzone of Barolo that is often lumped together with its neighbor Serralunga d’Alba. Both areas are known for the most powerful expressions of Nebbiolo in Piedmont, but they are not the same. Monforte also shares a bit of similarities with Castiglione and La Morro, where finesse is king, but overall I would say that Monforte does bring the power, but with an emphasis on fruit that you don’t find in Serralunga. It also has less crus, but without a doubt it contains one of the most famous and respected vineyards in all of Barolo: Bussia.
The wines of Bussia are legendary for their balance of power and elegance, and their long aging ability. Claudio has some prime vineyard rows in the Bussia Sottana parcel of this cru, and that is also where you will find some younger vines growing on a north facing slope. For most of Barolo’s history slopes with a northern exposure could not get ripe every vintage, so they were left out of the DOCG. That has changed in the past couple of decades, enough so that the local officials decided that these vineyard parcels could be considered for Barolo status. However, Claudio and some of his neighbors decided that they didn't want the upgrade, and that is how you have a Barolo for all intents and purposes labeled as “Langhe Nebbiolo” and with a very reasonable price to match!
For the Langhe Nebbiolo Claudio uses a shorter maceration period, about 10 days, and ferments with native yeasts in steel tanks. The wine rests in those tanks for six months, and then spends another six months aging in the same big, Slavonian oak casks that he uses for the Baroli. The result is a true “baby” Barolo that is ready to drink on release with just a brief decant. Serve it cool in large Burgundy stems and you’ll get gobs of up front red and black cherries that are followed by classic notes of dried roses, wild herbs, tar, porcini, and orange zest. It’s a true classic, especially when paired with risotto with mushrooms and truffles!
