Langhe Nebbiolo - Diego & Damiano Barale

The Langhe Nebbiolo DOC by Diego e Damiano Barale is the wine that Piedmontese people know as "the everyday Nebbiolo" — the one that Barolo and Barbaresco producers bottle from the same vineyard or adjacent vineyards when the grapes do not meet the requirements for the flagship denominations, or when they choose to produce a wine of immediate access that tells the story of the variety in its most direct and least austere form. It is not Barolo, it is not Barbaresco — but it is the same variety, the same territory, the same hands. And at €21 it is the most honest and most accessible gateway into the great world of Langhe Nebbiolo.

Diego e Damiano Barale produce this Langhe Nebbiolo with the same artisan philosophy that defines their Barbera d'Alba Superiore — respect for the territory, careful vineyard tending, 12 months of ageing in French oak tonneaux, no shortcuts and no commercial compromise. The 15,000 bottles produced testify that this is the most widely distributed wine in the Barale range — the one that enters the homes of those who want a serious Nebbiolo without facing the prices and waiting times of Barolo.

Langhe Nebbiolo DOC is a denomination that has gained increasing respect in recent years — thanks to producers who have stopped treating it as a second-level wine and started vinifying it with the same care reserved for the great denominations. Born from Nebbiolo grapes cultivated in the Langhe on calcareous and clay soils, harvested at full ripeness and vinified with traditional fermentation. The 12 months of ageing in 500-litre French oak tonneaux — the same containers as the Barbera Superiore — add structure, spiced notes and a tannic roundness that make this Langhe more accessible and immediate than the great ageing wines, while maintaining all the identity character of the variety.

On the nose it already carries the unmistakable perfumes of Nebbiolo — dried rose, cherry, raspberry, spice, light tobacco and that precise calcareous minerality that is the signature of the Langhe. On the palate it is lighter and more immediate than the Barbaresco Pajè from the same estate — present but already well-polished tannins, lively natural acidity, a freshness that makes it wonderfully drinkable already in the first years from the harvest, and a clean medium-long finish with notes of red fruit, spice and minerality. Serve at 16-17°C. Perfect to open between 2 and 7 years from the harvest — or immediately with one hour of decanting.