2022 Renzo Castella, Langhe Nebbiolo

A palpable density, minerality, and “seriousness” here separates this wine from more pedestrian “Nebbiolo d’Alba” or “Langhe Nebbiolo” appellation reds. The fruit for this Nebbiolo originates in Renzo Castella’s small vineyard which hugs the border between Diano d’Alba and Serralunga d’Alba, Barolo, and a quick glance at any geological map of Barolo clearly displays how it’s the same limestone of Serralunga that spills over into Renzo’s vineyard, and it carries the same powerful Nebbiolo typicity that is the hallmark of those Baroli. Renzo Castella’s grandfather, Severino, first established the family farm in Diano in the early 1900s, but, in the early 2000s, it was his grandson Renzo, an educated and deeply skilled winemaker, who pivoted production from fruit sales to estatebottled wines. In the two decades that followed, Renzo earned a reputation as one of Diano’s most knowledgeable, gifted, consistent, but also understated talents. Carefully grown in an herbicide- and pesticide-free