# Langhe Nebbiolo (2023)

- **Producer:** Cantina Bartolo Mascarello
- **Colour:** red
- **Type:** still
- **Grapes:** Nebbiolo
- **Region:** Piemonte, Italy
- **Style:** Classic
- **Alcohol:** 14.0%
- **Average price:** €90
- **Contains sulphites:** Yes
- **When to drink:** Now or Later
- **Serving temperature:** 16–18 °C
- **Aromas & flavours:** rose, violet, cherry, raspberry, redcurrant, plum, black pepper, liquorice, cedar, leather, tobacco, forest floor, tar

## About this wine

Cantina Bartolo Mascarello is one of the most revered names in Piedmont, representing the pinnacle of traditional winemaking. Located in the heart of Barolo, the estate is currently managed by Maria Teresa Mascarello, who strictly adheres to the uncompromising standards set by her late father, Bartolo. The estate famously rejects modern winemaking trends, such as the use of small French barriques or single-vineyard bottlings, preferring to blend fruit from their historic family holdings. Their Langhe Nebbiolo is highly coveted, sourced from younger vines planted in exceptional Barolo crus, offering wine enthusiasts a vibrant, early-drinking expression of the estate's legendary terroir.

## Interesting facts

- Bartolo Mascarello famously created hand-painted 'No Barrique, No Berlusconi' labels, cementing his status as a rebel traditionalist.
- The Langhe Nebbiolo is crafted from younger vines situated in prestigious Barolo crus like Rué and San Lorenzo.
- Maria Teresa Mascarello continues to use concrete tanks built by her grandfather in the 1940s for fermentation.

## Food pairing

Nebbiolo's naturally high acidity and firm, youthfully tight tannins require dishes with ample fat, protein, or earthy elements to soften the wine's structure. Classic Piedmontese dishes featuring butter, rich meat reductions, or truffles are ideal, as the fat coats the palate while the wine's acidity cuts through the richness, highlighting the delicate floral and red fruit aromatics.

## Wine making process

The winemaking process for the Langhe Nebbiolo follows the estate's deeply traditional philosophy. Grapes are harvested by hand and fermented using indigenous yeasts in historic, temperature-uncontrolled concrete vats. Maceration on the skins lasts approximately 15 to 20 days, which is slightly shorter than the period used for their Barolo, ensuring a more approachable tannin profile in youth. The wine is then aged for 12 to 18 months in large, neutral Slavonian oak casks (botti) rather than small barriques, preserving the pure, varietal character of the Nebbiolo grape. It is bottled without filtration.