Nebbiolo

Also: Spanna · Picotener · Chiavennasca

Nebbiolo is an aristocratic and demanding grape. It produces pale-colored wines—deceptively delicate—but with extraordinary tannic and acidic structure. It's the grape behind Barolo and Barbaresco, the great wines of Piedmont and, alongside Sangiovese, one of Italy's two most prestigious native varieties. Its name comes from 'nebbia' (fog), because it ripens so late that harvest falls in October, the season of Piedmont mists. It's extremely demanding of site: it needs calcareous soils, specific expositions, and long growing seasons. Outside Piedmont and Valtellina, it has been difficult to adapt—few places in the New World achieve convincing profiles. Its aromatic profile is unmistakable: roses, tar, cherries, gunpowder, truffle. Young Barolos are brutally hard—practically undrinkable—but after 10–15 years of cellaring they transform into one of the world's great wines. In Argentina there are very few hectares, mostly experimental.