{"product_id":"le-piane-nebbiolo-colline-novaresi-2024","title":"Le Piane Nebbiolo Colline Novaresi 2024","description":"\u003ch3\u003eThe Land\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eColline Novaresi is in the northern reaches of Piedmont, near Novara and Lake Maggiore, far from Barolo and largely unknown by comparison. The soils here are not limestone and clay but ancient volcanic porphyry: coarse-grained, mineral, and unlike anything in the Langhe. The result is Nebbiolo in a register that Barolo producers would barely recognize: lighter in color, more lifted in aromatics, shaped by volcanic rock rather than limestone richness. The average vine age at Le Piane is 100 years. This is old-vine territory that was largely abandoned during 20th century wine industry consolidation, and its rediscovery is one of the more interesting developments in Italian wine.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eThe Wine\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e85% Nebbiolo blended with 15% Vespolina, the indigenous local variety that adds floral lift and fresh acidity. Practicing biodynamic farming. Ambient fermentation in tank, aged in barrel. The Vespolina's contribution is immediately apparent: the wine is lighter in body and more perfumed than you would expect from old-vine Nebbiolo, with dried rose, sour cherry, iron, and volcanic mineral running through a long clean finish. Genuinely different from anything produced south of the Alps. At Alto Piemonte prices, it is one of the most interesting bottles in the shop.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eThe People\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLe Piane was created by Christoph Künzli, a Swiss-born winemaker who arrived in the Colline Novaresi in the late 1980s and purchased the cellar and vineyards of a local grower then in his eighties. He has since expanded to over eight hectares, farming old vines biodynamically on volcanic porphyry soils that were largely overlooked by the industry for decades. Künzli has been credited with helping revive Alto Piemonte as a serious wine region, and his Nebbiolo is the clearest expression of why it deserves the attention it is now beginning to receive.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eFood Pairing\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRisotto with porcini, roast chicken with sage butter, vitello tonnato, a plate of salumi with aged Toma, or grilled vegetables alongside a soft cheese. The lighter body and floral aromatics make it useful where Barolo would overwhelm. It is a genuinely versatile red for the table.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"S\u0026M","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49938413551839,"sku":null,"price":26.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0439\/7436\/1248\/files\/P6040279.jpg?v=1780628580","url":"https:\/\/denverwinemerchant.com\/products\/le-piane-nebbiolo-colline-novaresi-2024","provider":"Denver Wine Merchant","version":"1.0","type":"link"}