Italy

Bricco Ernesto typify the trend for elevating humble terroir. Opposite the legendary vineyards of Barolo and Barbaresco in Roero – an appellation comparatively overlooked by modern drinkers – they are producing tiny quantities of hidden Piemontese gems from Arneis and Nebbiolo.Sommelier-turned-winemaker Renato Vezza tends vines on Roero's steepest slopes in the hills above Priocca, owned by his family for four generations. Surrounded by native hazelnut trees and farmed without chemicals, these spectacular vineyards have had organic certification since 1990. Building on traditional Piedmontese techniques and his experience tasting some of the world's great bottles, Renato makes graceful and finessed artisanal wines.Spending a year in barrel and a year in bottle, his Nebbiolo is as floral and intense as the finest Barbarescos made across the valley. Rich and velvety, it is sumptuously flavoured with dark cherry and earthy spice. Just 150 cases are made each year. Arneis – a difficult-to-cultivate variety, typically neutral in style – is unusually layered and complex in Renato's skilled hands. Fermented on skins in Slavonian barrels for 100 days, it spends six months in amphora. The honeyed stone fruit and bitter herb notes are balanced by mineral tension and grip.

Bricco Ernesto

Wines

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