# Monte Degli Angeli Collezione del Barone Pinot Noir (2024)

- **Producer:** Tenute Neirano
- **Colour:** red
- **Type:** still
- **Grapes:** Pinot Noir
- **Region:** Piemonte, Italy
- **Style:** Classic
- **Alcohol:** 13.5%
- **Average price:** €12
- **Contains sulphites:** Yes
- **When to drink:** Now or Later
- **Serving temperature:** 14–16 °C
- **Aromas & flavours:** raspberry, cherry, plum, rose, violet, vanilla, cloves, cedar, mushroom, forest floor

## About this wine

Monte Degli Angeli is a distinguished label produced by Tenute Neirano, an estate owned and operated by the Sperone family in the Piedmont region of northwestern Italy. The family's winemaking legacy began in 1911 when Antonio Sperone started producing wine in Turin. Four generations later, the family returned to their roots by acquiring an 18th-century villa and vineyards in the Monferrato hills, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Today, the estate is managed by Paolo and Antonio Sperone, alongside Antonio's children, Francesca and Andrea. This wine represents a unique Italian take on Pinot Noir (locally known as Pinot Nero), a grape famously associated with Burgundy but thriving here due to Monferrato's unique micro-climate and calcareous soils.

## Interesting facts

- Pinot Noir is notoriously difficult to grow, but the micro-climate of Monferrato in Piedmont closely mirrors Burgundy's ideal terroir.
- The Sperone family has been making wine since 1911, starting in Turin before acquiring their historic 18th-century Monferrato estate.
- The 2024 vintage received a 91-point score from critic James Suckling, highlighting its exceptional value-to-quality ratio.

## Food pairing

The bright acidity and moderate, silky tannins of this Piedmontese Pinot Noir make it an incredibly versatile food partner. It possesses enough structure to cut through the richness of duck and roasted meats, while its earthy undertones create a seamless bridge to mushroom- and truffle-based dishes. The low tannin profile also prevents it from clashing with oilier fish like salmon, making it a rare red wine that pairs beautifully across both land and sea menus.

## Wine making process

The grapes for this Pinot Noir are sustainably grown across 30 hectares of estate-owned vineyards in Casalotto di Mombaruzzo d'Asti, featuring south-facing slopes and limestone-rich soils. Following a careful harvest in early September, the grapes undergo classic red vinification. Fermentation takes place in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks with regular pump-overs (remontage) to gently extract color and fine tannins without imparting harshness. The wine is fermented using selected local yeasts. Following fermentation, it is aged for approximately six months in oak barrels to develop structural complexity and integration before stabilization and bottling under strict IFS quality standards.