Colombera & Garella Pian di Peu 2021

Colombera and Garella work in Alto Piemonte, the alpine north of Piedmont where Nebbiolo grew long before the Langhe made it famous. The estate began in 1992 when Carlo Colombera left the rice fields of Vercelli for the hills around Masserano. Pian di Peu 2021 is a Nebbiolo grown on the acidic, mineral-rich soils of this higher, cooler zone, which gives a lighter framed and more perfumed style than the powerful wines of Barolo. Nebbiolo is a late-ripening grape high in both tannin and acidity, so it needs time, and this wine spends twenty-four months in oak barrels. That long, slow maturation, with steady oxygen passing through the wood, resolves the firm tannins and adds tertiary complexity without heavy oak flavour. The colour is a pale garnet, typical of the grape. The nose is the highlight, with dried roses, ripe red cherry and the distinctive orange peel the source notes, over tobacco and leather. The palate is fresh and structured, the tannins fine and gripping, the acidity bright, the finish long and savoury. Serve at 16 to 18 degrees, decanted an hour ahead. It suits braised beef, game and mushroom dishes.