Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
EDITORIAL<br />
<strong>FR</strong>ANÇOIS GILBERT - EDITORIAL DIRECTOR<br />
GREETINGS <strong>FR</strong>OM NEBBIOLO<br />
Talking about Italian grape varieties is in some<br />
ways like a never-ending litany, such is their<br />
number in the winegrowing cradle of Western<br />
Europe. But Nebbiolo is not just another grape<br />
variety, it undeniably holds a special place. Mainly<br />
grown in Piedmont, it has stoked the global acclaim<br />
of Barolo – its single varietal epitome – along<br />
with Barbaresco, whose reputation continues to<br />
gain traction. It requires well-drained and very<br />
poor limestone soils to fully express its potential,<br />
and it also needs plentiful sunshine as it ripens<br />
late. Harvesting often occurs in the autumn and<br />
is sometimes carried out in the mist – or nebbia<br />
in Italian – hence its name. A fairly fragile grape<br />
variety, it calls for impeccable vineyard management<br />
and winemaking techniques in order to<br />
scale the heights of quality. Only then does it yield<br />
wines that combine incredible power, complexity<br />
and finesse, all of which is coupled with outstanding<br />
ageability promoted by its tannins and<br />
marked acidity. There is no doubt that Nebbiolo<br />
has entered Italy’s varietal hall of fame, alongside<br />
the heavyweights that are Sangiovese, Barbera and<br />
Nero d’Avola. And in a country that had more than<br />
a thousand native grape varieties before the phylloxera<br />
crisis, that is no mean feat!<br />
4 WINTER 2022 • GILBERT & GAILLARD - THE <strong>FR</strong>ENCH EXPERTS ON WINE