As much as I love Barolo, and the Nebbiolo grape, I’m like Goldilocks when it comes to deciding which one to drink and when. Given Nebbiolo’s proclivities, you rarely find one that’s “too soft,” but there are many that are too hard (i.e. tannic); too rustic (lacking fruit); or too expensive. Today’s Langhe Nebbiolo from Diego Pressenda is
just right.
In the same way that Barolo style varies widely, so does that of Langhe Nebbiolo: Some versions are basically Barolos in disguise, with nearly as much brooding power as their big brothers; others are easier-going, prettier, and styled for earlier enjoyment. Pressenda’s ’17 is a pitch-perfect example of the latter—buoyant and unoaked, dialing back the tannin and turning up the fruit without losing the essential, earthy character of Nebbiolo. As much as I appreciate being able to drink ‘almost-Barolo’ at half the price of the real thing, I find wines like this better capture the true spirit of the “Langhe Nebbiolo” designation—it’s meant to be a more pared-down, pure, unadorned expression of a grape and place. In a restaurant, this wine would be a by-the-glass pour to be proud of—but I’m more than content to pour it at my house, often, for the foreseeable future. It’s one of the brightest, most ‘Burgundian’ interpretations of Nebbiolo I’ve had in a long, long time, except that you’d be hard-pressed to find a Bourgogne Rouge that comes anywhere near this at this price (sorry Francophiles, that’s just how I feel). So, just in case it isn’t obvious by now, I love this wine—and you will, too!
The Pressenda property is called La Torricella, where they operate a restaurant and agriturismo in addition to farming 13 hectares of grapes for an assortment of Piedmontese whites and reds. The winery itself is at the southern edge of the Barolo DOCG in Monforte d’Alba, close to that village’s border with the neighboring commune of Roddino. Pressenda’s vineyards are in both towns, with the Nebbiolo for the Barolo hailing from a southeast-facing site with a high sandstone content mixed with limestone marl. Namesake Diego Pressenda had previously sold his grapes to others but began producing wines under his own label in 2004, and now it’s his daughter, Sylvia, and her brother, Oscar, who run the cellar.
Wines labeled with the Langhe Nebbiolo DOC designation are often crafted from the fruit of younger vines, or from vineyards that may not fall within the prescribed boundaries of the Barolo zone. Today’s wine is indeed from younger-vine fruit grown at a relatively high altitude (500 meters) in the village of Monforte, in a rocky, west-facing site that imbues the wine with good mineral texture and lots of freshness and aromatic lift. Compared to Barolo, this wine was also macerated on its skins during fermentation for a shorter period (10 days), which helps to keep Nebbiolo’s often-aggressive tannins in check. The wine aged for a year in stainless steel tanks, followed by another short period in bottle before release, so it's far from feeling overly youthful or ‘raw’—it has tremendous balance, captivating purity, and lots of aromatic interest. It is already beautifully knit together and will continue to improve over the next 3-5 years, which is everything one could hope for from this appellation and price point. It’s Langhe Nebbiolo done right!
In the glass, Pressenda’s 2017 has an appealing ruby hue at its core, moving to magenta and pink at the rim (no ‘bricking’ is yet in evidence, despite Nebbiolo’s tendency for that). The aromas are fresh and the texture lively, with just a nip of tannin framing the bright cherry fruit. Scents of dried cherry, red currant, pomegranate, blood orange, violets, black pepper, and a hint of leather and underbrush are confirmed on the medium-bodied palate, which has a refreshing, harmonious feel. In the spirit of top-tier Bourgogne Rouge and Cru Beaujolais, this is the kind of inexpensive red that’ll have you sincerely considering: “What else do I really need from a red wine?” Decant it 30 minutes before serving at 60-65 degrees in Burgundy stems, pair it with pasta or polenta topped with
ragù, and you’ve got life’s essentials all figured out. Enjoy!
