We were among the first Americans to get to try this sparkling version of nebbiolo that Rivetto said was already sold out (sorry, none of it was available here in the US…guess we’ll have to go to Piemonte and get more) last year. Hopefully some of this years batch will still be available when we’re wine buying our way through the Langhe next month. Can’t wait to see what he’s done with it.
For more on the lovely Sinio and a feel for how awesome a visit a trip to Rivetto is, see here:
So the other night we had the pleasure of savoring our dinner with Anna Maria Abbona’s lovely “Sori dij But” Dolcetto (that’s Piemontese dialect for sunny hills near Butti, the hamlet near Dogliani where they live and produce). Fantastic stuff; we love pairing Dolcetto with savory dishes. Break out the truffles, folks! So where does this wine hail from? We of course take to Google and investigate…
From high altitude Google Maps orients us slightly east of south from Torino in the more southerly part of the Langhe; the Abbona azienda forms an isosceles triangle with Bra and Alba.
Descending with a couple clicks shows us Azienda Agricola Abbona just south of Dogliani (as in the appellation, Dolcetto di Dogliani), close to Monforte D’Alba, and about 20mi south of Barolo proper. I see also the name of the impressive Grinzane Cavour castello appearing further north. Getting a feel for where this is.
Another click lower and the contours of the colline undulate (rolling hills) the Langhe is synonymous with start coming into focus. You can see what efficient viticulture use is made of this precious land. Forza Nebbiolo, Barbera, e Dolcetto! I know we’ve been through this neck of the woods, but have spent no meaningful time here. Time to change that, I can already tell.
At what looks like middling jetliner altitude, we get a good feel for the southwesterly exposure the Abbona folks enjoy; tightly packed hills full of magical fruit and an impressive compound come into view.
Finally, clicking down to the bird’s eye view:
It’s so green, so lush, and so full of the land-loving-respectful-of-the-craft character Piemonte is so widely known for. You could spend days wandering these hills eating and drinking and not getting bored for a moment…
Time to go visit. Indeed, after reading about the Abbona winery in Suzanne Hoffman’s magical Labor of Love: Wine Family Women of Piemonte book, the Abbona operation has been high on our list to explore. We’ll be checking out more of Piemonte doing some exploration on behalf of our clients in a few weeks, and will have more to write up. The camera shutter trigger finger itches, and the wine palate jumps up and down in excitement.
Ci vediamo a presto in Piemonte!
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