2020 Le Strette Naschetta

Region: Piemonte < Italy

Grape: Naschetta

Vineyard/Cellar Stats: Certified organic farming; white chalky-clay soils; fermented and aged in stainless steel; bottled unfined, unfiltered with minimal added SO2; 13% ABV

Winemaker: Savio and Mauro Daniele

Nas-cetta (‘Nas-chetta’) is the forgotten grape of Piedmont that almost went extinct. Le Strette was one of two passionate producers (turned vine hunters) to trace back the original vines and re-establish the variety. It is now thought that hundreds of years ago Nas-cetta stood alongside Nebbiolo as the two local indigenous grapes of the region.  In Novello, Le Strette, run by brothers Savio and Mauro Daniele, is one of the two Nascetta saviors. The brothers produce fancy, famous Barolos too, but so far the estate has remained a little under the radar because although their vineyards, Bergera-Pezzole and Corrini Pallaretta, are historic crus, they were practically forgotten and neglected over time until the Daniele brothers took them on.  In 2014, they discovered, just steps away from the confines of the Barolo denomination and immediately south of Novello, an 80-year-old Nascetta vineyard on the same white chalky-clay soils that make Barolo so famous and on which Nascetta also thrives. Like Nebbiolo, Nascetta is a prima donna of a variety which needs full southern exposure and a ventilated but not windy spot on calcareous clay. The Danieles found a perfect spot on the Pasinotti hill, historically an important Nascetta site, but, except for this tiny plot, the vineyard area had been neglected for years and was overgrown with shrubs.

If you've never tasted Nas-cetta, you're in for a fabulous surprise because it's clean and classic but super interesting and incredibly food-friendly, almost as if it were designed to go alongside a nice meal (just like it’s sibling Nebbiolo).  It smells exotic, a potent combo of melon, apple, honey and herbs; the palate is driven by a saline freshness and long, layered flavors of lemon and stone fruit in a round, minerally, polished style.   Famous wine critic Janice robinson sums it up nicely: "Gorgeous nose of white fruit, quince and acacia honey with saline notes pulled together by notes of breadcrumbs, which had me fooled this had been in oak, but this has seen only stainless steel. Ripe white fruit, mandarin and cut orange on the palate. Gorgeous length and style. This will go much further with bottle age. Without a shadow of a doubt, Le Strette are THE Nascetta specialists."