Tenute Neirano - Nizza 2020
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Item# 83719-20
James Suckling
92pt
Estate
Tenute Neirano is a small estate in the heart of Monferrato in Piemonte. Giacomo Sperone founded the family winery in 1911. The 5th generation of the family has now joined Tenute Neirano to continue the vision and passion of sustainably farming their 60 acres of pristine vineyards. Tenute Neirano is located in a lovingly restored 17th century villa built on top of a hill in Casalotto di Mombaruzzo, near Asti, in the heart of Monferrato. It is surrounded by estate vineyards in the heart of the production of some of the top wines of the Piedmont region. The region is unique, it has a colder continental climate in winter, with low rainfall as a result of the rain shadow effect of the Alps, followed by warm dry summers.
Tasting notes
The nose is fruity and offers great concentration and complexity. It reveals notes of bright cherry and raspberry with touches of violet and a slight hint of star anise and licorice. The palate is fruity and layered with nice juiciness, intensity and body. This wine expresses notes of fleshy cherry, luscious currants, and notes of plum, tobacco with hints of toasted almond and a subtle hint of vanilla. The tannins are well integrated. Good length, nice finesse in its richness and acidity. 100% Barbera
Terroir
Nizza producers point to their terroir as a way of explaining how the region differs from the larger, surrounding Asti DOCG. Most importantly, the Nizza region is hilly, with the elevation ranging between 150 and 350 meters. Elevation is important in quality winegrowing regions. The reason is that vineyards on a slope help draining (keeping the roots from becoming too soggy). Also, grapes from higher elevation vineyards typically produce more aromatic wines. Wine lovers may wonder why producers spent so much time, effort, and money on the creation of their Nizza DOCG. One reason is that Asti is a very large region, with hundreds of producers and varying quality levels. Average consumers are not able to understand if the grapes used in their bottle of Barbera wine came the vineyards on the preferred hills, or on flat terroir.
