From: Piemonte, Italy

Varietal: Nebbiolo

Tasting Notes: This Langhe Nebbiolo was inspired by a trip to Oregon’s Willamette Valley! Federica’s sister loved the Willamette’s Pinot Noir from stainless steel tank, and brought that inspiration home with her. It’s the only red wine made this way, and showcases the pretty side of Nebbiolo. Garnet red with ruby tinges; fragrant dried flowers on the nose, with the aroma of geraniums and slight fruity overtones reminiscent of raspberries; dry, warm and soft, slightly tannic and very easy-drinking— the ‘party’ Nebbiolo. We recommend drinking this slightly chilled!

Pairing: This would be wonderful with fresh charcuterie or mature cheeses, pasta with ragu or a vegetarian sauce, red meat dishes, like hamburgers, or beef carpaccio.  I’d also enjoy it with roasted root veggies. We’re going to share a recipe by Erin Jeanne McDowell for Crispy Mushroom Focaccia today, in the spirit of light-hearted merriment.

For four generations Ca’ del Baio has been a family affair, as is the tradition in the Langhe. Nurtured and passed down from father to son, the vineyards surrounding the Grasso family farmhouse have been added to over time through marriage and acquisitions. Today it is Giulio and Luciana who, together with their daughters Paola, Valentina and Federica, handle all the various areas of the business with passion and expertise, from the growing and vinification of the grapes, to hospitality and wine sales.

For the Grasso family, simplicity, a sense of sacrifice and the deep attachment they have to their land are prerequisites for guaranteeing wines of quality. Today the Ca’ del Baio estate takes in 28 hectares of vineyards in the villages of Barbaresco and Treiso, both of which are in the Barbaresco winegrowing area.

All estate-grown, their wines are made from a range of highly valued varieties, some typical of the area while others are more international: the whites include Moscato, Chardonnay and Riesling, and the reds Nebbiolo, Barbera and Dolcetto. Almost all the wines are varietal specific. The most prestigious vines – producing the Nebbiolo used to make Barbaresco – are between 25 and 40 years old, and they go into making the estate’s crus of Asili and Pora (commune of Barbaresco) and Vallegrande and Marcarini (Treiso).

This is a fresh, easy-drinking Nebbiolo of the kind the variety is capable of producing on younger vineyards where care is taken over the ripening of the grapes. Obtained by selecting grapes from several different vineyards, it revives a never-forgotten tradition.