Ca’ Bianca Langhe Nebbiolo 2024

Ca' Bianca farms 39 hectares around Alice bel Colle in southern Piedmont, on elevated calcareous-marl slopes that suit Nebbiolo. The grape is famously site-sensitive, and these mountain vineyards bring a wide diurnal range: warm days build sugar and aromatics while cool nights preserve the acidity and tannin that define the variety. Nebbiolo ripens late and accumulates high levels of both tannin and anthocyanin, though its pigments are unstable, which is why the wine reads pale garnet rather than deep red. This is the Langhe DOC bottling, made for earlier drinking than Barolo, with the fruit kept fresh rather than built for long cellaring. The colour is light brick-edged ruby. The nose leads with red cherry, dried rose and a savoury earth and tobacco edge. On the palate it is medium bodied and dry, the bright acidity and fine grippy tannin framing red berry fruit and a liquorice finish. Serve at 16 to 18 degrees, ideally decanted for half an hour to soften the grip. It suits braised beef, mushroom risotto and aged alpine cheese.