2020 Luigi Vico Nebbiolo Ne Bis in Idem, Piedmont

Luigi Vico is a small grower based in Serralunga d’Alba, one of Barolo’s great communes and a place synonymous with structured, savoury Nebbiolo. After years working outside the family vineyards, Luigi returned to wine, restoring old parcels and building a tiny estate around traditional farming and a wonderfully hands on approach. Production is small and decidedly artisanal, making these wines something of an insider’s Piedmont discovery.

Ne Bis in Idem is Nebbiolo with a difference. Its Latin name roughly suggests “not twice for the same thing”, fitting for a bottling that sits outside the usual Barolo framework and gives Vico room to explore another expression of the grape. The 2020 has now had useful bottle age, softening Nebbiolo’s youthful edges while allowing its floral, citrus and earthy characters to become more complex.

Pale garnet ruby with sour cherry, redcurrant and wild raspberry followed by violet and dried flowers. Blood orange and anise bring lift, with black tea, tobacco and warm earth developing underneath. The palate is medium bodied and finely structured, with bright red fruit, fresh acidity and firm but increasingly settled tannins. Cherry and citrus peel move towards liquorice, tea leaf and earthy spice across the savoury finish.

Tajarin with porcini and Parmigiano would be superb, but mushroom and Fontina polenta, duck with lentils, grilled radicchio with hazelnuts or eggplant stuffed with tomato and herbs all have the earthy savouriness Nebbiolo loves. Give it a large glass and a little air rather than treating it like a simple Langhe red.

Cellaring: Drink now to 2035.