We first looked at North Piemonte. Most of the grapes in this region are grown at between 1000m and 1400m. The climate is continental with very cold winters. The two DOCG’s in the region are Ghemme and Gattinara. The grape is, of course, Nebbiolo (from the word for fog). 70% of wines made from Nebbiolo is still made in the traditional way with heavy tannins. The first wine, the 1995 Vigneto Molsino by Nervi, was very pale in colour—similar to a Pinot-Noir. On the nose, there was some fruit (plums), violets, raisins, white chocolate, licorice, leather, and spice. In the mouth, there was a touch of sweetness with an earthiness, and dry, dusty tannins. The 1997 Gattinara from Travaglini was again very pale in colour. It had sour cherry and plums on the nose along with almonds (marzipan), while in the mouth it had some sweetness, a good amount of fruit, and some very dry tannins. The 1974 Gattinara from Travaglini was orange-brown in colour. It had notes of oxidation on the nose, but also had raisins, mushrooms, and white chocolate. On the palate, it was very earthy with a hint of seaweed and white chocolate and considerable tannins for a wine of 30-plus years! According to Antonio, this wine had a tremendous amount of deposit.

Flight two featured Roero and Monferrato. In 2004, Roero became a DOCG (Nebbiolo grapes). Monferrato has Barbera as its main grape, which incidently makes the most popular wine for everyday drinking. Our first wine was an unusual 100% Arneis wine from Piazzo. A whole handful of descriptors were used for the nose of this wine: cheesy, peach, mineral, green melon, citrus, grapefruit, herbaceous, and anise. On the palate, the wine had hints of anise, herbs, bitter almond, and was a bit salty. Antonio explained that many Italian whites are “salty” because of the minerality. The second wine, a 1997 Roero from Negro, had more colour than the Nebbiolos of the first flight. It had a musty nose; some thought it may have been corked. On the palate though, it seemed to have considerable cherry fruit, herbs, earthy notes, and spice. The last wine was the 2003 Nizza from Bersano with its very dark, almost black, colour. A swirl of the glass produced aromas of coconut, cherry, caramel, vanilla, and cedar, and a swish in the mouth produced many of the same elements. However, the wine had low tannins and acidity.

Langhe was the featured region of flight three. In Langhe, there are two DOCG’s, Barbaresco (comprises four towns) and Barolo (comprises 11 towns). The wines, made from Nebbiolo, vary considerably in style from town to town in both DOCG’s. The Sito Moresco by Gaja had notes of red/black cherry, green pepper, eucalyptus, and cedar. In the mouth, it was full of red fruit and coconut. It was described as a New World-type with Italian sensibilities—good balance (i.e., not overwhelmingly fruity). The Beni di Batasiolo was earthy with red fruit, tannins, and acid. The co-operative Barbaresco was rather Amarone-like (raisins, floral notes) on the nose, while on the palate, it showed the floral notes, almonds, and tannins. It was a good match for the two cheeses (Fontina and Toma), which were served with this flight. The fourth wine, the Barolo from Fontana Fredda, was a little closed initially, but showed off a little licorice which came through on the palate with tannin and acid and a good finish. The Barolo from Giacomo Ascheri had a musty nose of leather, earth, burnt chocolate, and chocolate covered cherries. However, the palate was disappointing with its rather cardboard taste.