HOT NEW SINGLE VARIETALS: THURSTQUEEN INTRODUCES NEBBIOLO - BECAUSE BIGGER IS BETTER

Every time I meet someone who likes big red wines like Cabernet Sauvignon and find out they’ve never had Nebbiolo, I always feel like they’ve been deprived.

Now I’m not here to talk shit on Cabernet Sauvignon - though it seems like I rail against the varietal a lot in this blog. I promise I don’t have a beef with Cabernet, the beef I have is that people act like Cabernet Sauvignon is the only full-bodied red grape out there. And this is simply not true.

If the “King of Grapes,” is your jam, I suggest looking over to the Piedmont region of Italy and discovering Nebbiolo.

WHAT IS NEBBIOLO?

Nebbiolo is a full-bodied red grape that yields floral, acidic, and tannic wines. The grape is extremely temperamental to grow - seriously, it will give Pinot Noir a run for its money in that department - and yields powerful, age-worthy wines. Some wines made from Nebbiolo are meant for holding on to. They’re serious, and they need some time to lay down in your cellar (or at the bottom of your closet) before being enjoyed.

As a grape, Nebbiolo is also significantly older than Cabernet Sauvignon, as the grape has roots that date back to the 13th Century.

WHAT DOES NEBBIOLO TASTE LIKE?

Nebbiolo is most commonly associated with aromas of tar and roses. The wine is incredibly deceptive, because at first glance it’s a light garnet red. On the nose, you’ll get all those floral ultra rosy qualities, maybe some baby powder and a bit of cherry — but don’t let that fool you.

As soon as you take a sip of the stuff, Nebbiolo will knock you out with all that chewy, leathery goodness. Expect aromas of coffee grounds, tar, and earth in this heavily astringent wine. Now I know hearing that a wine tastes like “tar” sounds gross AF, and as someone who regularly writes wine-related copy whenever I get a winemaker telling me their wine has aromas of things like “tar,” “blood,” “cat pee,” and “animal,” sometimes it makes writing marketable copy a little… erm… difficult. So when I use the descriptor “tar,” just know that’s a word commonly associated with Nebbiolo. That doesn’t mean it actually tastes like licking asphalt. That just means there’s a very inky, intense, bitter and almost angled astringency to this wine.

Typically, most wines with Nebbiolo done in the traditional style required some time in bottle to age and mellow out. A lot of producers would have to hang on to their bottles before releasing them into the wild. That’s right, the tannins were just that intense. And it wasn’t until fairly recently that some Italian producers decided to create more easily accessible wines for those impatient types.

Today, there are plenty of producers in Italy working on Nebbiolo in the more, “modern,” style today where it’s ready to drink young if you don’t want to wait. As someone who had a bottle of Barolo from 1982 that was still in tact, I can say that patience is a virtue in this situation. Trust.

LABELS MATTER

THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF NEBBIOLO

BAROLO - THE DON

PRICE: $$$$

The most prestigious, highly sought after, talked about expression of Nebbiolo is Barolo, from the Barolo DOCG. Barolo comes in two different styles: normale and riserva.

Normale Barolo is aged for 38 months, including 18 months in oak. Riserva is aged for 61 months, or 18 months in wood aging.

BARBARESCO - THE NEW HOT TICKET

PRICE: $$$

Barbaresco is still considered one of the most famous expressions of Nebbiolo in Italy. It comes from - duh - the Barbaresco DOCG. For several decades, Barbaresco was passed over for Barolo. Yet with all that in mind, a lot of Barbaresco producers have been really stepping up their game of late.

Barbaresco is also classified as normale and riserva. Barbaresco Normale is aged for 26 months, or 9 months in wood. Barbaresco Riserva is aged for 50 months in aging, or 9 months in wood.

ROERO NEBBIOLO - FOR DARK AND BROODING FOLKS

PRICE: $$

Roero Nebbiolo is like chilled out Barbaresco and Barolo. It’s a great way to get some of the intensity of these higher quality wines, at a lower cost. With plenty of intense tannins, this type of wine can mellow out with time in the cellar.

If Barbaresco and Barolo aren’t within your budget — they sure AF aren’t within mine — consider hitting up some Roero Nebbiolo. You can hang on to these puppies for a couple years and watch them evolve beautifully with time.

LANGHE NEBBIOLO - NEBBIOLO & CHILL

PRICE: $

Perfect for weeknight pizza extravaganzas, Langhe Nebbiolo is light and easy-drinking compared to Barolo and Barbaresco. Langhe Nebbiolo is my favorite Netflix & Chill wine. And sometimes, with really light styles, I literally like to serve my Langhe Nebbiolo chilled. It’s like Beaujolais with more angst and attitude and it is freaking AWESOME. I highly recommend. One of the better values on here, Langhe Nebbiolo can really over deliver during particularly great vintages, and you can find some incredible values from the Langhe. Look out for 2016, 2015, and 2008.

PICK OF THE WEEK: 2019 Renzo Castella Langhe Nebbiolo $24.00 @ Stanley’s Wet Goods

SO. MUCH. POWER. This rich, darkly serious, intense expression of Nebbiolo from the Langhe drinks like a baby Barolo. It is literally like black roses dipped in tar (mmmm delicious tar) but in a super hot and sultry way. Loads of chewy, powerful and grippy leather, coupled with licorice aromas. You could easily hang on to this wine for a few years and not drink right away.

Renzo Castella farms a small vineyard, just outside of Barolo, and ferments all his wines in stainless steel prior to aging them in neutral oak. Though he’s a small winegrower, he keeps it real and the prices on his wines are super affordable - making him a hidden gem if you’re looking for Italian wines that drink like some of the major heavy hitters at a fraction of the cost.

This is a wine that screams - HAVE ME WITH MEAT. The Renzo Castella Nebbiolo is the ultimate “dinner party companion,” and is great as the weather continues to cool. I’d pair this puppy with any roast, rack of lamb, or something equally chewy and gamy. Be sure to drink it with something substantial, because it could easily overpower lighter faire. Unless that’s how you roll, then hey, more power to you.