2015 Cantalupo Ghemme - Anno Primo

For nebbiolo, Alto Piemonte, in the foothills of the Alps, was historically as important as the Langhe (Barolo and Barbaresco) 140 kilometers south. In the past 20 years the Alto Piemonte has launched a remarkable wine renaissance. With climate change bearing down on growers farther south, northern Piemonte’s cooler nights have become a notable asset in producing fresher, lower-alcohol nebbiolo-based wines that retain the variety’s signature complexity and age-worthiness. There are seven specific DOCs or appellations, more or less corresponding to Barolo and Barbaresco in the Langhe. The most important today are Gattinara, Ghemme, Bramaterra, and Boca.

Alberto Arlunno and his daughter Benedetta manage the Cantalupo vineyards and winery established by father/grandfather Carlo in the 1960s and 70s - based on a centuries-old family tradition in Ghemme of growing grapes and making wine for personal consumption. 'Anno Primo' (“first year”) is Cantalupo’s village wine and homage to nonno Carlo’s first bottled wine in 1974. Soils in the various vineyards that go into this wine are a complex melange of granite, schist, dolomite, sandstone, and loam. The wine fermented in stainless steel tanks and then aged in botti (large, old wooden barrels) for about 20 months. The nose is classic nebbiolo: spiced dark cherries, earth, and tar. The decade of age shows in the wine’s tertiary, non-fruit flavors and complexity. The tannins are still present but not overly aggressive. It’s a wine of great equilibrium between age and youthful freshness. Decant it an hour or two before drinking if you have the opportunity. Drink it with braised or roasted meats, mushroom stew, or aged cheeses.