Piedmont (or Piemonte) wines are made in the northwestern corner of Italy. With the Mediterranean Sea to the south and the Alps to the north and west, the Piedmont region enjoys a continental climate. This means cold winters and very warm, dry summers, with dense fog common in the fall. Most of the highly acclaimed Piedmont wines are from the south-central, Alba area, and also from the Asti and Alessandria, slightly farther east and north.
The region’s most lauded wines, Barolo and Barbaresco, come from the Nebbiolo grape, whose ancestral home is Piedmont. The best Barolo and Barbaresco wines are produced in small quantities on a number of mostly south-facing ridges sitting above the October fog (nebbia) in the Langhe hills around Alba (also the country’s white truffle capital). The considerably less expensive reds Dolcetto and Barbera have garnered wide acclaim in export markets in the last ten years--due in part to the elevated price tags of Barolo and Barbaresco.
The growing popularity of Piedmont gastronomy has also contributed to the interest in local wines. The innate acidity and taut structure of Piedmont wines make for an invigorating backdrop to the region’s hearty meat dishes. The wines’ complex earthy/ floral personality also works amicably with the other local star, the truffle. As the worlds of good wine and good food continue to merge, an area known for both is bound to prosper.
In terms of whites, Gavi is the most popular from Piedmont and it’s also the most widely available in the U.S. Gavi is produced almost entirely from the Cortese grape planted in the province of Alessandria, in the region’s extreme south. Gavi di Gavi wines are produced in vineyards bordering the town of Gavi. Most all of these whites are very dry, and feature a mid-level complexity and concentration. The best of them are crisp but they commonly come up short on verve and grip, and are best enjoyed early.
Wine Enthusiast, 97 points: This has a lovely, alluring nose that evokes rose, iris, woodland berry, new leather and cake spice along with a whiff of camphor. It's focused and delicious, with juicy Marasca cherry, star anise, clove and mocha flavors...
jamessuckling.com, 96 points: Complex aromas of smoke, ash and dark fruits with a precision and intensity. Layered and gorgeous. Loads of dark fruit and perfume. Full-bodied with round and wonderfully polished tannins. Wonderful length and richness...
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 94 points: The 2015 Barolo Castiglione is a soft and elegant expression with marked freshness and delineated fruit. Indeed, Luca Currado maintains that 2015 was not a hot vintage per se, and any jammy notes that might appear in the...
Vinous, 94 points: A huge, thrilling wine, the 2011 Barbera del Monferrato Superiore Bricco Battista is endowed with magnificent depth and tons of personality. Layers of intense Barbera fruit burst from the glass in a racy, opulent wine...
jamessuckling.com, 95 points: The fruit and depth of this wine is very pretty. With brightness and transparency. Plums, and cherries with dried flowers and spices. Medium to full body, bright fruit and acidity. A powerful finish. A fantastic 2014...
Wine Enthusiast, 98 points: This isn't just a great wine for what was a notoriously cool, wet vintage, it's quite simply a magnificent wine. Perfumed and loaded with finesse, it opens with scents of woodland berry, iris and baking spice while the...
jamessuckling.com, 97 points: A tight and focused Le Vigne with strawberry, orange-peel and floral aromas and hints of hazelnuts. Not giving it all now. Full-bodied, very intense and focused. Extremely long and polished, tannic finish. Drink in 2023...
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, 94 points: The 2009 Barolo Parafada (also a product of the rich, clay soils of Serralunga d’Alba) presents the darkest color of the three and bursts open with ripe flavors of dried blackberry, tobacco, used leather and licorice. But...
jamessuckling.com, 97 points: Aromatic depth here, drawing you in with cascading layers of flowers and leaves, fresh-tilled earth laced with woody spices, white pepper and fresh red fruit. The palate carries a very sturdy frame of fine, dense tannins...
Vinous, 94 points: The 2015 Barbaresco Montestefano fleshes out in all dimensions, as it does in all the best years. Warm, rich and inviting, the 2015 is a wine of pure and total pleasure. Black cherry, plum, sage, lavender, menthol...
jamessuckling.com, 97 points: This shows phenomenal structure to it with fantastic linear tannins that take this wine deep and long on the palate. It’s buttressed by a beautiful balance of ripe fruit characterized by strawberry and orange-peel...
jamessuckling.com, 95 points: More forward and in a more earthly realm than the dizzying heights of the Conteisa this vintage, but it’s so endearing and immediately delights. The aromas range from elderberries and black cherries to brambleberries and...
jamessuckling.com, 95 points: A dense and layered red with plums, dried orange and lemon peel and a long and flavorful finish. Beautiful. Such impressive layers and a fantastic finish. Very exciting. Love the length. Available in February 2019. Drink...
jamessuckling.com, 92 points: A fruity and clean red with plenty of orange peel and chocolate undertones. Full body, dusty texture and a flavorful finish. Drink now.
Vinous, 99 points: The 2013 Barolo Riserva Monfortino is a huge, towering wine marked by serious fruit intensity and a backbone of firm, classically austere tannins. Certainly next to the 2014 and 2015, the sheer tannic clout of the 2013 is...
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