Monthly Archives: May 2021

Luigi Pira Barolo 2017

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Luigi Pira Barolo 2017 & more

For many, the new year starts January 1st. For some of us, the real fun begins when the new vintages hit the market! The 2020’s should start to show up, and some have made their way to me! In addition to the new vintages of Dolcetto, Barbera and Nebbiolo, I was lucky to taste a Luigi Pira Barolo 2017 as well!

Luigi Pira Barolo 2017

Below are my tasting notes for the new vintages:

Luigi Pira Dolcetto d’Alba 2020

Luigi Pira’s Dolcetto is made with 40 year old Dolcetto vines. After spending 8-9 months in stainless steel, the wine is bottled and ready to go! The 2020 has a beautiful Dolcetto nose. Not as explosive and concentrated as 2019, but more floral with notes of dark red fruit and cherry. Good structure and relatively full bodied for a Dolcetto.

Luigi Pira Barbera d’Alba Superiore 2019

The Luigi Pira Barbera d’Alba Superiore ages 12 months in botte grande. The Barbera plants grow in Roddino a town that borders Serralunga d’Alba and Monforte d’Alba, and are about 20 years old.  

Luigi Pira Langhe Nebbiolo 2019

Released a year later than most of its “peers”, the Langhe Nebbiolo from Pira has spent about 12 months in big oak barrels. In addition to the terroir, the oak helps to give the wine its structure and complexity.
The 2019 is very fruity and crisp with hints of Strawberry. Full bodied and structured with tannins that disappear quickly, leaving you with red fruits. A balanced wine.
The Luigi Pira Langhe Nebbiolo 2018 was a bit different, with aroma of red fruit, leather, spices and tobacco as well as a hint of oak notes. Fruity in the mouth, crisp and complex. Persistent tannins with a long finish.

Luigi Pira Barolo 2017 – Vignarionda

The Luigi Pira Barolo Vignarionda is considered Pira’s top wine.  Aged for 24 months in a mix of barrique, tonneau and botte grande. Floral and fruity on the nose, with hints of mineral and we earth. The Vignarionda is a big, but the tannins disappear quickly, and you’re left with a well-balanced Barolo.

Diego Morra Il Sarto 2019

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Diego Morra Langhe Nebbiolo Il Sarto 2019

The Diego Morra Langhe Nebbiolo Il Sarto 2019 is a new and improved Langhe Nebbiolo from Diego Morra. Diego Morra’s family has been in the wine and hazelnut business since the mid 1900’s, but it’s not until recently Diego started to bottle the wine under his own label.

The Il Sarto sews together vineyards from two different towns which have different microclimate, exposure and terroir. One is the vineyard in the municipality of Roddi, with an altitude of about 200 meters and south exposure, and the other is from municipality of La Morra, the Castagni and Serra dei Turchi vineyards. At an altitude of about 380 meters with north-east exposure these vineyards are more fresh than the vineyard in Roddi.

Why the name Il Sarto

“Il Sarto” translates to “the tailor”. The choice of the name derives from two different reasons:

First, a tailor, with attention and craftsmanship, chooses and sews together the pieces of cloth that they consider best, giving harmony to the dress as a whole, in the same way this Nebbiolo sews together different vineyards, combining terroir from La Morra and Roddi.

Second, the tailor also represents the union of Diego Morra and Francesca. Francesca has origins in the north of Piedmont, in the area of Biella, which since the 1800 has been famous for the art of weaving, for fine fabrics that are sold all over the world. So the name “Il Sarto” also recalls the tradition of Francesca’s origins.

To sum up, Il Sarto represents two traditions sewn together: high quality wine and high quality tailoring.

Vinification

After a careful destemming, the spontaneous fermentation takes place in 8-10 days under constant temperature control (max.28-30°C), followed by short but frequent remounts and racking for about 10-12 days.  The wine-making process, the malolactic fermentation and large part of the aging process (which finishes with a period in wood) takes place in stainless steel containers during  a 12-16 month period.

Diego Morra Langhe Nebbiolo Il Sarto 2019 Tasting Notes:

The Diego Morra Il Sarto 2019 is quite explosive, similar to other 2019’s. Aromas of red berries, cherry and some pepper on the nose. Very fruity in the mouth, with round and approachable tannins. Very balanced with a long finish. Absolutely delicious!

Diego Morra Langhe Nebbiolo Il Sarto 2019

17 Mai Wine Recommendations

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Norwegians will celebrate constitution day next week and I’ve found some of my best wine tips for the occasion! PS: these wines fit any celebration, or just a regular Tuesday! So you can keep reading even if you’re not celebrating 17 Mai

Piemontegirl in 17 mai dress
17 mai outfits

17 Mai Champagne Breakfast

It is customary to attend a Champagne Breakfast the morning of 17 Mai. And even if you don’t, it’s a safe bet that you will drink Champagne (or other bubbles) later in the day!

My go-to Champagne these days is J. Charpentier’s Blanc de Blancs. In my opinion, it’s the best value for money Champagne. Another good BdB is the one from Pierre Peters. If you want to kick it up a notch, you should try the J. Charpentier Origine Brut Nature or the Bereche Brut Reserve.

Sparkling Wine

Even though I usually prefer Champagne, there are some alternative choices. One of my good friends from Langhe, Ettore Germano, makes multiple sparkling wines. I’d recommend the Ettore Germano Alta Langa Extra Brut. And the Nyetimber Classic Cuvee is a good English sparkling.

What do you pair with the 17 Mai hot dog?

Those of you who have followed me for a while probably know about the infamous “Hot dog and Barolo” event that takes place late May. If you haven’t tried Barolo with a hot dog, you should! What better way to make a fairly simple food feel extra celebratory? The Cavallotto Barolo Bricco Boschis 2017 is a very good option!

Although Barolo is a good option, you might want some less expensive wine on deck! A Langhe Nebbiolo would do the trick! Here are some of my favorite Langhe Nebbiolo 2019.

Wine for the Chef

Now, this might be the most important wine of the day! The chef obviously needs a glass to enjoy while cooking! My personal favorite would be a Dolcetto, but a glass of white would also work well!

News at Vinmonpolet

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Tomorrow about 2000 wines will be released in Norway. Here are a few of my favorites, including a new Champagne from Charpentier!

J. Charpentier Origine Brut Nature

J. Charpentier makes a wide range of wines and tomorrow the Origine Brut Nature will be available in Norway for the first time! As most of you probably already know, the Blanc de Blancs by Charpentier is my favorite these days, but it’s nice to have more options as well! The Origine Brut Nature has slightly more tropical notes, but is still fresh and crisp with a wonderfully long finish.

Paolo Scavino Dolcetto 2019

The Dolcetto 2019 are quite structured with lots of fruit. I find them to be a bit more complex, especially compared to 2018, giving the wine a little more “oomph”. One could argue that the Dolcetto from 2017 also had “oomph” but perhaps not complex. This is the case with Paolo Scavino Dolcetto 2019 as well. Concentrated, explosive and fruity with good length. I really like enjoyed this wine!

Emilio Vada Barbera d’Asti

Explosive noes with notes of fruit and minerals. Quite expressive. A balanced wine with good acidity. I’ve found that I quite like Barbera from Asti. The different soil and climate give the wine a different spin than Barbera from Alba.

Malabaila di Canale Barbera d’Alba Superiore

This is my first introduction to Malabaila di Canale. The Barbera Superiore has those wonderful Barbera aromas. Some hints of vanilla and tobacco, but not excessive oak notes! Some tannins and long finish gives it that extra boost.

Luigi Pira Langhe Nebbiolo 2018

Released a year later than most of its “peers”, the Langhe Nebbiolo from Pira has spent about 12 months in small and big oak barrels. In addition to the terroir, the oak helps to give the wine its structure and complexity. Aroma of red fruit, leather, spices and tobacco as well as a hint of oak notes. Fruity in the mouth, crisp and complex. Persistent tannins with a long finish.

View from the Luigi Pira Tasting room