2017 Colombera & Garella Bramaterra - Cascina Cottignano

We sell and drink a lot of nebbiolo, much of it from the Langhe in southern Piemonte - most notably Barolo and Barbaresco. But Alto Piemonte, an hour and a half north of the Langhe and in the foothills of the Alps, was historically an equally important zone for nebbiolo. In the past 20 years the Alto Piemonte has launched a remarkable wine renaissance, and with climate change bearing down on growers farther south, northern Piemonte’s cooler nights have became a decided asset in producing fresher, lower-alcohol nebbiolo-based wines that retain that variety’s signature complexity and age-worthiness. There are seven specific DOCs or appellations, more or less corresponding to Barolo and Barbaresco in the Langhe. The most important today are Gattinara, Ghemme, Bramaterra, and Boca. Colombera & Garella is the collaboration of Cristiano Garella, the leader of the Alto Piemontese renaissance, with his long-time friend Giacomo Colombera and Giacomo’s father, Carlo, in Bramaterra. The tradi