With no hesitation whatsoever, we pounced on a newly offered tranche of today’s perfectly preserved Piedmontese red gem. How could we not? Look at the stat sheet: 100% Nebbiolo from DOCG Ghemme; one of the greatest vintages in the last two decades; and a price point that is simply unheard of for a wine of this age, provenance, and pedigree. Such is the appeal of the so-called “Alto Piemonte,” the northern, or “upper,” section of Piedmont that includes not just Ghemme but neighboring Nebbiolo-focused appellations such as Gattinara, Lessona, and Bramaterra. If you are a lover of Barolo and Barbaresco wines but not a lover of their ever-rising prices, it’s likely you’ve already been scouring upper Piedmont for screamers like today’s 2010 from Cascina Ca’Nova.
They’re out there, that’s for sure: As we’ve seen over the last decade-plus, long-neglected regions like Ghemme are getting their mojo back in a major way, as exemplified by estates like Ca’Nova: Like many of their local contemporaries, Giada Codecasa and her father, Vittorio, restored an old farmstead and planted new vineyards in Ghemme starting in 1996, helping to re-establish one of Piedmont’s most historic—if largely abandoned—wine zones. With the help of indefatigable consultant Cristiano Garella, a native son who has a hand in numerous wine projects across the region, Ca’Nova captured the full dynamic range of Nebbiolo in 2010—and the wine is aging beautifully. What an amazing find!
“Find” is an apt word, too, because for all the attention being lavished on the wine regions of the Alto, none of them are very large. One source puts Ghemme’s total vineyard acreage at around 200 (85 hectares), while others say the total is even lower—and we’re talking about the entire appellation here, not just the holdings of a single producer. For their part, the Codecasa family have grown their estate vineyard holdings to about 10 acres, six of which fall within the Ghemme appellation boundaries. Ghemme is classified as a DOCG—the “G” standing for garantita, or guaranteed—which is the highest “quality indicator” in the Italian appellation system; it occupies a gently sloping ridge following the contours of the Sesia River, a tributary of the Pò that originates in the Alps along the Swiss border, near Monte Rosa. Soils are glacial moraine, strewn with mineral-laden porphyry rock, sand, and alluvial gravel.
Although the Ghemme production discipline allows for other grapes besides Nebbiolo, Ca’Nova’s 2010 is 100% Nebbiolo, and it shows: As with many of the best Ghemme wines, this one has a structure reminiscent of Barolo, its tannins softened by time but continuing to lend backbone to a wine that has further evolution still ahead of it.
That said, I’m thrilled to decant this 2010 for about 30 minutes, pour it in Burgundy stems, and revel in it now as it blossoms in the glass. It was aged in large Slavonian oak casks for 18 months, followed by 24 months in bottle before release (a similar regimen to that of Barolo), and, having spent more time in bottle still, this wine has really found its stride. In the glass, it’s a deep garnet red moving to crimson and orange at the rim, with the kind of laundry-list aromatic profile Nebbiolo is famous for: dried cherry, wild strawberry, cranberry, orange peel, tobacco, tar, leather, rose petals, anise, turned earth, sandalwood, and underbrush. It is medium to medium-plus in body, with a touch less alcohol than your typical Barolo (an appealing feature of many alto Piemonte reds) but the same kind of woodsy, earthy appeal. Taut and energetic, this wine is meant to shine with savory, hearty, wintry food—so now’s a great time to pull some corks! Check it out with the soul-warming recipe attached. Perfection!
