Piero Benevelli Langhe Nebbiolo 2019

100% Nebbiolo. Benevelli has been one of our favorite under-the-radar growers for a number of years. These are rigorous, classically built wines that show the essence of their terroir. It was in 1978 that Piero Benevelli started out with five hectares of vines in Monforte d’Alba and focused on the traditional grapes of Piedmont: Nebbiolo, Dolcetto, and Barbera. His son, Massimo, started his training in the vineyard at age 14 and quickly learned the core principle that still guides him today—to make great wine, you must first have great grapes. The young Massimo Benevelli has developed into an extremely talented Piemontese grower. He exhibits a total command of the production process, from vine to bottle. The Benevelli holdings are mostly concentrated in the southeastern-facing hillside cru of Ravera in the deep southeast of the Barolo zone. The wines from Ravera have the distinction of combining the structural strength of neighboring Serralunga d’Alba with the concentration and richness of Bussia and the other crus further north. This Langhe Nebbiolo possesses the noble floral aromatics of a traditional Barolo with the bright red fruit showing off and the massive Nebbiolo tannins, one would find in a Barolo, taking a back seat. This wine has ample drinkability and shows that young Nebbiolo can be consumed on an everyday basis. We are often asked who the up-and-coming stars are in Piedmont. Massimo Benevelli is surely one of them.