2016 Nervi-Conterno Valferana Gattinara DOCG, Piedmont
A$234.06
Availability:
Out of stock
SKU
N-CVGAT16
Gattinara is regarded as the crown jewel of wines from alto Piemonte and was first declared a DOC in 1967. If you love Nebbiolo, this is a wine to discover.
There are 20 cru vineyards in the Gattinara DOCG appellation, with Valferana sitting near the geographical centre of the commune at a height of 370 metres. Although it sits a little lower than Molsino, Valferana doesn’t get as much sunlight or warmth, facing predominantly west, and it is one of the steepest crus. Most vintages, the wine has a tight, focused frame. ‘Valferana’ is the more austere of the two crus, with a tightly wound core gifted by Gattinara’ s porphyry-gravel soil; the wine is disciplined with myriad mineral nuances. We always get some blood orange here and even stone fruit notes, along with Nebbiolo’s already intoxicating crunchy red fruits that with ‘Valferana’ can sit in the background until their prettiness is ready to show.
The wine is fermented and macerated in tini (large conical wooden vats) for a similar 3–4 weeks, then aged for another 40 months in various large wood formats.
The 2016 Gattinara Vigna Valferana is every bit as impressive from bottle as it was from cask. Rich and resonant, the 2016 is so supremely beautiful as it opens up in the glass. It is a wine of real breadth and textural expansiveness. Rose petal, mint, sweet, dried cherry, tar, anise and orange peel are some of the nuances that emerge, but the Valferana is a wine to admire for its total sense of balance. In a word: Lights out. Make that two words.
96 points Antonio Galloni vinous.com
| Product/Service Sold Out | Yes |
|---|---|
| En Primeur | No |
| New Arrivals | No |
| Wine Type | Red Wine |
| Country | Italy |
| Region | Piedmont, Gattinara |
| Varietals | Nebbiolo |
| Vintage | 2016 |
| Bottle Size | 750ml |
| Wine Points | 96 |
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