Gian Luca Colombo Langhe Nebbiolo, Piedmont, Italy 2022

Gianluca Colombo is an up and coming oenologist in Piemonte who was recognized as such in 2014 when we was awarded the Giulio Gambelli Prize, which goes to the top Italian winemaker under 40. Having developed an early passion for wine, beginning his career as a wine consultant for a number of well known wineries throughout the Barolo area, in 2011 he opened his own winery, “Segni di Langa” near Roddi, in the northeast corner of the Barolo appellation. He makes wine in a contemporary way that respects the environment, the land, and varietal purity. His philosophy is that his wines are born from the earth and, with them, he tries to convey all the effort, passion and commitment that he devotes to his grapes. He sees himself as a farmer and he has doubled down his commitment to biodynamic farming as he believes that the results in the vineyard are the only way to achieve his goal: to produce the best Barolo period. Each bottle is marked with his fingerprint as a sign of his great passion, respect, and commitment to rare wines, produced in limited quantity.

His Nebbiolo d'Alba is from a single 50 year old vineyard just a few hundred yards from the renowned Barolo Cru site of Monvigliero and is only labelled a Nebbiolo rather than Barolo due to not following the rather exacting rules required to do so! Aged in Austrian oak and clay amphora for around 1 year this is a refined, fresh and perfumed expression of Nebbiolo. The palate is filled with very pure ripe, juicy red and dark fruits with touches of spice and herbal notes, ripe tannins which balance nicely with the fresh acidity on a lovely long finish. Drinking well now though will have the capacity to age and develop for the rest of the decade. Try with red meats, roasted root vegetables, and mature hard cheeses.