Travaglini Gattinara Tre Vigne 2022

Travaglini is a family estate in the heart of the Gattinara hills of northern Piedmont, founded in 1958 and now run by the third generation across 59 hectares of vineyard. Tre Vigne is made from Nebbiolo selected from three historic Gattinara plots. Unlike the Langhe to the south, Gattinara sits on acidic volcanic porphyry soils, which give the wine a distinctive iron-like minerality and bracing acidity alongside Nebbiolo's firm tannin. The cool sub-alpine climate and altitude ripen the grape slowly and preserve its aromatic detail. The wine ages a long 40 months in foudres, where the large neutral oak allows slow oxygen exchange that softens and integrates the tannins over time without adding obvious wood flavour, so the fruit and minerality stay to the fore. The colour is pale garnet, paling at the rim with age. The nose shows sour cherry and plum, with dried rose, tobacco, leather and tar. The palate is full and structured, the tannins firm and fine grained, the finish long, mineral and savoury. This is a wine for the cellar. Serve at 17 to 18 degrees and decant. It suits braised beef, game and aged cheese.