Sunday, December 1, 2013

Mapping Nebbiolo

Nebbiolo, the variety used in the Langhe's famed Barolo and Barbaresco wines, is considered Italy's most noble grape. Its name is thought to have been derived from the Italian word for fog (nebbia), a condition which is common in Barolo during the September-October maturation period of the variety. I have previously written on The Langhe as a wine region but, after reviewing TONG No. 16's focus on the region's key variety, I have attempted to map Nebbiolo to its regions, its requirements, its wines, and its styles.




Sources: Map -- http://www.cellartours.com/italy/italian-wine-maps/;
Data -- Various authors, TONG No. 16; Wine -- Mise en abyme
A fuller description of the areas where Nebbiolo is planted in Italy has been described in a series of posts on this blog. During the course of a journey through the geographical locations and naming conventions associated with the Nebbiolo grape, we have encounterd it as Chiavennasca (Valtellina, Lombardia), Picotendro (Donnaz, Valle d'Aosta), Spanna (Vercelli-Novara region of Alto Piemonte), Prunent (Val d'Ossola) and Nebbiolo (Langhe-Roero). 

Detailed maps of Barolo DOCG are shown below.

Source:
http://westudywine.blogspot.com/2009/07/map-of-barolo-docg.html

The below chart was compiled from a BBR blog post (bbrblog.com) by David Berry Green in which he tasted Le Rocche offerings from a number of producers in order to determine whether the subject vineyard was Grand Cru material. His conclusion? "It should be ranked alongside other prized Barolo vineyards such as Brunate, Cerequio, Vigna Rionda, Monprivato, Falletto, Cannubi, Monvigliero, and Bussia."


Source:
http://travellanghe.zenfolio.com/p242832817#h14e5b603


Sources: Data from TONG No. 16, Green and Daniels;
author's construct

Sources: Data from Tong No. 16, Mascarello;
author's construct

Sources: Data TONG No. 16, Mascarello;
author's construct




*Last revised 1/6/14 to add chart on 1989 and 1990 vintages.
©Wine -- Mise en abyme

2 comments:

  1. thatta boy! nice graphs and explanations! It was a Nebbiolo November for me as well! How are you?

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    1. Thank you for the kind words. I am fine. Have been following your blog so know that you are too. We are planning to come visit some time in the near future

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