Hopefully you picked up some of Luigi Vico’s stellar “Prapò” Barolo this morning. Now we’ve got its value-priced little brother, a wine that offers a pretty thrilling experience right now—no waiting! As we say often, when you see a “Langhe Nebbiolo” on SommSelect, grab it. There are a lot of them out there, but we’re constantly sifting through the masses in search of transcendent beauties like this one. Langhe Nebbiolo is a not-so-secret weapon which, in many cases, are the estate’s way of introducing themselves—the wines they court you with before you decide to walk down the aisle with a pricier Barbaresco or Barolo. This ’21 from Luigi Vico and his superstar winemaker, Davide Rosso, is an outrageously good value—it’s only a few shades lighter than the estate’s Barolo and it’s got aromatic charm and lively energy for days. It’s the best Langhe Nebbiolo we’ve tasted in a long time, and that’s saying something, because we are crazy for Langhe Nebbiolo. There’s not a smarter, more rewarding wine buy out there, period.
As noted earlier today, Luigi Vico is a native of Serralunga d’Alba, where his family’s piece of the “Prapò” cru headlines his five-acre heirloom collection. He had long ago left agriculture behind for a life in Turin, but felt like the time had come to reconnect with his Barolo roots. Vineyards he had once helped his grandparents maintain during summers off from school were nearing the end of long-term rental contracts, meaning that he could re-take control of them and make a wine bearing the Vico name. With the help of a talented neighbor—Davide Rosso, of the famed Giovanni Rosso winery—he did just that.
This ’21 is exactly what you want from a Langhe Nebbiolo: all the operatic aromatics and spice-laden fruit of the Nebbiolo grape, but without the heavy tannic footprint typical of (longer-aged) Barolo. This wine was fermented on ambient yeasts in stainless steel, then aged 10 months in a combination of larger-sized French oak casks. For a wine from the village of Serralunga—which is usually known for harder-edged styles of Nebbiolo—this displays exceptional elegance and ripeness. It’s a medium garnet-red in the glass with pink highlights, with a ripe core of red cherry, plum, and red currant fruit supported by scents of violet, rose, white pepper, leather, tobacco, and warm spice. It is medium-bodied, with fine-grained tannins and mouthwatering acidity, with a persistent and highly aromatic finish. Decant it 30 minutes before serving at 60 degrees in Burgundy stems and watch it unfold over the course of a great meal. Looking ahead, I could see this being a great choice for Thanksgiving leftovers, or for any meals incorporating game meats or freshly foraged mushrooms. As always with Nebbiolo, think “woodsy” and you’ll be in great shape. Enjoy!
