It’s been a bit quiet here as we’ve been super busy meeting winemakers, exploring new places to take clients, and just enjoying Italy. But it’s time to get back to work! In the coming days, more shots of our latest Italy tour adventures and research.
Tough work, but somebody’s gotta do it:
Views of Serralunga D’Alba on a foggy Langhe morning. Fabulous.
What a magical day; we got to meet Enrico Rivetto himself and interview his staff about what makes their azienda special; the organic artisanal approach, the reverence for the old ways of doing things, and the focus on epitomizing the best of what nebbiolo and barbera can do makes for a tasting you won’t soon forget. We also got to try their nascetta and a sparkling white they named Kaskal which has yet to hit the market; our tasting guide Rita suggested we might well have been the first Americans to taste it.
A fantastic experience for which we cannot thank Enrico et al enough for.
We’re back in Piemonte, enjoying Azienda Agricola Rivetto‘s nebbiolo thanks to our friends over at Sovereignty Wines. Nebbiolo is simply the best varietal in the world, whether its expressed as a top dollar Barolo or just an every-day drinkable nebbiolo offered up at not-so-stratospheric prices, and the Rivetto shows why: straightforward, just a touch of the typical ripe dark cherry and similar fruit, great strong tannins that take about thirty minutes to round off, and the rusty dark translucent color you’d expect. It’s fabulous. And nice to look at:
So where does this beauty come from? Let’s dig in:
Close to our friends in Rodello, Rivetto’s azienda is just outside Sinio and south of Alba, near Serralunga d’Alba on the eastern edge of Barolo country.
Just off a narrow road winding its way through Piemonte’s prime real estate, from this altitude you already know you’re in for a treat as you click through the Google map for Rivetto. Such a great collection of greens in those fields and rolling hills.
A little closer and you can see Serralunga just to the west of Rivetto…if you click around the Google Earth views for Serralunga you’ll fall in love immediately.
Fantastic: neatly trained vines, lush woods, and a rustic country feel; Rivetto runs an agriturismo and has very reasonable rates for a stay that we are hoping to take him up upon very soon. Imagine waking up and having to contend with the view he encounters daily:
Ah, the life of the Piemontese wine maker. Not bad eh? We cannot wait to visit.
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