Borgogno e Carbone Nebbiolo Langhe DOC 2022

A beautifully lifted and pretty expression of Nebbiolo. It opens with aromas of light red cherry, a bit of orange peel and some gentle earth. Palate is just shy of moderate in weight with zippy acid and a flavor set of earth, minerals and dried cherries.

In a way, this wine is the most overachieving example of a restaurant’s "house red." Borgogno e Carbone was conceived by Fabrizio Borgogno and Stefano Carbone (Ito and Steve), who own and operate More e Macine Osteria (one of Piedmont’s best restaurants). It’s a pure Nebbiolo from one of Barolo’s most sought-after villages, produced by one of the area’s top talents. And, it is outstanding. The first two vintages were poured exclusively at their Osteria. Now on to its third vintage, a little bit has landed on our shelves.

Borgogno e Carbone Nebbiolo’s first vintage was in 2019, born from 35-year-old fruit the duo previously sold from family holdings in Verduno. When they decided to keep the fruit and bottle their own wine, they tapped Gianluca Colombo and Federico Scarzello, the incredible winemaking duo with a pension for making graceful, wildly elegant wines.

This Nebbiolo vineyard is in the heart of Barolo in the well-known Paiagallo cru. The vines are an average of 35-40 years old. Soils are calcareous and lie just below 1,000 feet of elevation. All the farming is done following biodynamic principles. The grapes are picked in late September to early October. After a light foot treading, the wine is fermented in stainless steel tanks for 30 days with no added commercial yeasts. The wine is aged eight months in 500-liter neutral oak barrels and bottled the summer after the harvest. The fermentation in stainless and small amount of time in wood results in a boisterous, juicy Nebbiolo that is truly irresistible.

Ito and Steve made sure that Gianluca and Federico approached the winemaking with a hands-off philosophy that allows the fruit, terrior and vintage to showcase the varietal purity of Nebbiolo. And they deliver on that here, with all the signature notes of Nebbiolo -- ripe red fruit and rose especially -- turned up to 11.