Cascina Fontana Langhe Nebbiolo 2023

Cascina Fontana is a small family estate in the Langhe hills of Piedmont, a UNESCO site, where Mario Fontana works as the sixth generation to tend these vineyards. The Langhe Nebbiolo comes from family plots more than a century old, set on the calcareous marl soils that give the grape its perfume and grip. Nebbiolo ripens late and holds high acidity and tannin, so the wine is fermented traditionally and aged in large old wood, which softens the structure through slow oxygen exchange without adding oak flavour. The result is a lighter sibling to Barolo built for earlier drinking. The colour is pale garnet with the orange rim Nebbiolo develops early. The nose carries sour cherry, dried rose, tobacco and a savoury earthiness, and the palate is firm and linear, with fine drying tannin and bright acidity that keep it fresh through a long finish marked by liquorice and leather. Serve at 16 to 18 degrees in a large glass, decanting an hour ahead helps the aromatics open. It suits braised beef, mushroom risotto and aged hard cheese.