Nebbiolo Prima 2011: a good start

Posted on 8 May 2011

I just arrived to Alba for the 2011 Nebbiolo Prima event. Barolo and Barbaresco tasting starts tomorrow. On day 1, I usually take it slowly, having a relaxed lunch of local specialities with wine by the glass. The wine to have on a lazy Sunday afternoon is Arneis. Piedmont might be mostly renowned for red wines but its white speciality, Arneis, is a delightfully refreshing and drinkable light white. I love it, and it’s a great pairing with many different foods including Alba’s famous raw veal tartare (carne cruda).

Arneis is the perfect aperitif wine but it can also be serious, deep and mineral. The best version is currently made by Giuseppino Anfossi of the Ghiomo winery. I met Anfossi for a mini-vertical of his Arneis. Already the basic 2010 Fussot is a wine to die for: perfumed, floral, bursting with positive fruit, and retailing for 7€ only. The more ambitious Inprimis is made with some skin contact and is more mineral and multifaceted. The 2010 is drinking beautifully and if I only drank this wine for the week I’m staying here, I’d be a happy man. 2009 is a hotter vintage that Giuseppino hasn’t tried to make cooler: it has a more exotic, heady perfume but less freshness on palate. I like it this way, because it’s true to its origins. The 2008 is impressively preserved for Arneis, a wine that according to stereotype you should drink within one year.

We also tasted three vintages each of the Nebbiolo Sansteu and Barbera Ruit Hora. All impressively balanced and truthful. Giuseppino Anfossi is a model vintner: showing that with hard work, dedication and vision, you can make brilliant wines even miles away from acclaimed terroirs such as Barolo.

Now I’m off to apéritif for more Arneis and Crudo di Cuneo DOP ham. Impressions to follow shortly.

Disclosure

My trip to Piedmont including flights, accommodation and wine tasting programme is sponsored by the Albeisa consortium of wine producers.