SommSelect Editorial Director David Lynch shares his obsession with the wines—and the story—of the “alto Piemonte,” home to many beguiling alternatives to Barolo and Barbaresco.
Other than Mount Etna, in Sicily, no Italian wine region is of greater interest to intrepid sommeliers right now than the “alto Piemonte”—the northern, or “upper” reaches of the Piedmont region near the border with Switzerland. Not far away is the even-more-Alpine Valle d’Aosta, a nominally “Italian” region with its own patois and a deeper viticultural connection to Switzerland’s Valais and France’s Savoie; but the cluster of wine zones running along the Sesia River—Gattinara, Ghemme, Boca, Fara, Lessona, and today’s appellation, Bramaterra—were at one time the vinous heart and soul of Piedmont, with the Nebbiolo grape on center stage. Before the two World Wars, alto Piemonte was the region’s most important center of commercial wine production; conversely, Barolo and Barbaresco, in southern Piedmont, were in their infancy. Since then, of course, that script has flipped: today, there are far more abandoned vineyards than productive ones in the heavily industrialized north, while Barolo and Barbaresco have blossomed into two of the most important red-wine appellations on earth, even getting a nod from UNESCO for their aesthetic beauty. The partners behind Le Pianelle, makers of today’s profound 2011 Bramaterra, are on a mission to showcase “Alpine Nebbiolo,” and lovers of this noble red need to get acquainted with this appellation and this producer. This is a deeply serious Nebbiolo wine, and a flattering few years of bottle age just sweetens the deal—so do not miss it!
The Le Pianelle partnership includes owners Dieter Heuskel and Peter DiPoli—the latter a prominent wine producer in the Alto Adige—who began acquiring vineyard land in out-of-the-way Bramaterra in 2004. With the additions of local viticulturist Andrea Zanetta and ambitious young winemaker Cristiano Garella—whom I first met years ago when he worked at Sella, in Lessona—the team set to the arduous task of assembling dozens of tiny plots acquired from many small local farmers. As they detail clearly (and succinctly)
here, the wine zones in the
alto Piemonte are mere shadows of their former selves, in terms of vineyard land planted: a century ago this area boasted about 100,000 hectares of vineyards, whereas today there’s only about 2,500 hectares in production. One reliable source puts the Bramaterra DOC’s total vineyard area at just 23 (!) hectares, and even Gattinara—the biggest and best-known appellation of the bunch—isn’t too much bigger. About five years ago, the last time I was in the region, I was curious, given the rising fortunes of the alto Piemonte wines, why we weren’t seeing more “new” labels and wines in the market. It was explained that most of the vineyard land is held by smallholders, many of them elderly and disinclined to sell. “You'll spend more on the notary than you will on the parcels themselves,” one producer told me.
In spite of this, Garella has spearheaded Le Pianelle and other upstart alto Piemonte projects, including another partnership called Colombera & Garella, also in Bramaterra. The vineyards of Le Pianelle, assembled over the course of five years, are in the villages of Brusnengo and Roasio, climbing to some significant altitudes in the foothills of Monte Rosa. Soils in the region are considerably different from the calcareous marls of Barolo and Barbaresco; up in the alto Piemonte there’s a mix of sandy marine sediments, glacial moraine, and some volcanic material, with the soils of Bramaterra containing a significant amount of porphyry—volcanic rock containing lots of feldspar and quartz.
Bramaterra is also unlike Barolo and Barbaresco in that the appellation laws allow for the inclusion of other grape varieties besides Nebbiolo—in this case the local varieties Croatina and Vespolina, which lend a little dark-fruited muscle and high-toned perfume, respectively. The blend of this 2011, just the second vintage released from the estate, is 80% Nebbiolo and 10% each of the other two; the wine was fermented in conical oak vats and aged in a combination of used barriques and larger casks for about 20 months before bottling.
One of the calling cards of alto Piemonte, given its comparatively cool climate and more acidic soils, is that its wines are typically a touch less tannic and often contain a degree less alcohol than their cousins from Barolo/Barbaresco. But today’s 2011, the product of a warm vintage, is a wine I wouldn’t hesitate to put in a head-to-head showdown with top-tier Barolo. In the glass, it’s a deep garnet moving to crimson and orange at the rim, with an aromatic profile any
Barolista would be happy to have: dried black cherry, red currant, blood orange peel, black tea, sandalwood, tobacco, and dark, humid earth all jump from the glass. It is nearly full-bodied and still firmly structured, although it is still considerably less tannic than a comparably aged Barolo would be. The big key here is service temperature: It’s a powerful wine with Nebbiolo’s characteristically robust alcohol, so I can’t emphasize enough how exponentially better this wine performs at 55-60 degrees rather than “room temperature.” Decant it about 45 minutes before serving in Burgundy stems, taking care to keep it cool, and it will continue to unfold over the course of hours, if not days. “Profound” is not hyperbole here—this wine delivers, and demands a hearty dish that can match its earthy savor. I’ve been seeing lots of successful mushroom foraging going on out here in northern California, and if you can get your hands on some morels, sauté some and toss with some fresh pasta for a truly heart-pounding pairing.
Salute and buon appetito! —David Lynch
