My Personal
Recommendation For YouGiovanni Rosso Nebbiolo
(Langhe)
2011
Piedmont;
Italy
$23.99 90pts Wine Spectator /
90pts Antonio Galloni
The
Langhe (“lahn-gay”), a hilly area in the Piedmont zone of northern Italy, is
famous for its cheeses, truffles — and its wines! To
that end, welcome to Giovanni Rosso, a small, family-owned wine producer
in the heart of the Barolo commune of Serralunga d'Alba, where they make
only red wines, and all from one varietal, Nebbiolo. Ampelographers
(those in the field of the identification and classification of grapevines)
believe that Nebbiolo is strictly indigenous to the Piedmont wine zone, where
aside from being labeled with its varietal name, it can also carry any one of
the other regional names (Barolo, Barbaresco, Gattinara, Ghemme, and Spanna).
Interestingly, its name is thought to derive from the Italian word nebbia
which means “fog”. During harvest, which usually takes place late in October, a
deep, intense fog sets into the Langhe region where many Nebbiolo vineyards are
located (pictured).
But
unlike  those other regional, more tannic Nebbiolo-based wines, “Langhe-level”
Nebbiolos – such as this one – are fashioned for earlier consumption
simply because they don’t undergo the same extended skins-to-juice contact
period nor the same lengthy aging in barrels. At
the helm of this suave wine is Giovanni's son, Davide Rosso, who studied
Oenology and gained invaluable experience while working at wineries in Southern
France. Then in 2001, at a young 27 years of age, he took complete
charge of the winemaking with one goal in mind: "Wine should be a
perfect copy of its terroir", and in this case, from the slopes of
Italy’s finest wine region! In
terms of viticulture, the family farms as organically as possible, using no
artificial chemical treatments such as fertilizers, insecticides or
weed-killers. Harvesting is 100% manual, as is pruning and tilling of the
soil beneath the vines. “Green harvesting is carried out as necessary and we
allow plant growth between the rows of vines to encourage soil health and
diversity in the vineyards.” Winemaker’s
notes: “Harvested
by hand; vinification in cement tanks with ambient yeasts; fermentation over 25
- 28 days with daily punching-down of the cap; elevage took place in large
Fontainebleau Forest French oak casks for several months. the wine was bottled
without filtration; Concentrated, bright Garnet. Aromas of violet  and rose,
with red fruit characteristics.”
Reviews: “A
graphite aroma leads to cherry, raspberry, tobacco and sweet spice flavors in
this red. Dense yet integrated, with a moderately long finish. A fine mineral
element lingers. Drink now through 2018. 300 cases imported.” – 90
pts. Bruce Sanderson/Wine Spectator (December 15, 2013). “The 2011 Langhe Nebbiolo is a delicious wine to
drink now and over the next few years. Fresh, floral and nicely layered, the
2011 impresses for its balance and class. Sweet red berries, mint and licorice
linger on the perfumed finish. In a year in which so many wines are quite big,
Rosso's Langhe Nebbiolo stands out for its freshness and lift. This is a
terrific showing from Davide Rosso.” – 90 pts. Antonio Galloni
This hand-picked wine is ready to ship. To see other personal wine recommendations we are offering customers CLICK HERE Each wine has been carefully selected to recommend. You might want to mix and match. Need help? Call 1 800 434 9463 (WINE) and ask for your Wine Advisor, Ty. My job is to learn your palate. Please tell me what you are looking for, i.e., specific grapes, countries, and/or price points. Weguarantee all wines we recommend, you never get stuck with wine you do not enjoy. Simply let us know if you are not happy and we will pick up the wine at our cost and put you into something else. I will also always match a legitimate price. We stand behind our customers 100%.
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