Monuments of Alto Piemonte and Oltrepo Pavese

10/28/14 -

(Tasting with Lino Maga. Barbacarlo ages very well.)

It seems that there’s been a of renewal of the wines of the Alto Piemonte, the wine district near Milano that includes Gattinara and Ghemme, and the even smaller Boca, Bramaterra, Fara, and Lessona. In New York we’ve had the fine wines from Vallana, of course, and Le Piane, and Conti, but the region always seemed sleepy and neglected when we visited. It’s likely that there was more good wine being made than we knew about, so perhaps it’s just the New Yorker’s view of the world that leads me to label this a renewal. Either way, there have been several fine wines introduced to this market in the last couple of years, and it’s exciting to be introduced to two excellent producers. The first is Mauro Franchino, who for a long time has been making tiny quantities of resolutely old-school Nebbiolo in Gattinara; aged in botti (very large wood barrels) the wine shows great expressiveness and purity. Colombera and Garella are two younger men who have revived a family property and who are making great wine – among the very best that I’ve tasted from the region. Last comes a wine that’s actually from Oltrepo Pavese in Lombardy – not far from the Alto Piemonte, and made with the some of the same grapes. Please read below for details on “the Bartolo Mascarello of Oltrepo Pavese." Jamie Wolff