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WSET D3 2023 > Ch17 NW IT > Flashcards

Ch17 NW IT Flashcards

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1
Q

Where is the primary area (although not exclusive) for growing Nebbiolo?

A

Piedmont/ Piemonte
Langhe, part of Cuneo province

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2
Q

What are the main grapes of Piedmont?

A

Nebbiolo (4th)
Barbera (most grown variety)
Dolcetto (3rd)
Cortese
Arneis
Moscato (mainly sparkling, 2nd most planted)
Brochetto (mainly rosé sparkling)

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3
Q

Describe the climate of Piedmont

A

Moderate continental
Cold winter, hot summer
Protected from cold N winds and excessive rain by Alps
Protected from weather systems coming from Mediterranean by the Apennines
Can have thunderstorms, hail, fog
Late frost a threat
Low rain June-Sept —> good ripening, low disease
HOWEVER, rain increase Sept-Oct —> threat to late-ripening varieties such as Nebbiolo

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4
Q

Describe the Nebbiolo grape in Piedmont
Budding & ripening —> implications
Vigor
Where grown

A

Early budding —> spring frost risk
(Very) Late ripening —> fall fungal risk
Vigorous
Mainly grown in S Piedmont (Cuneo province) but also in N provinces
Mainly on best S & SW facing sites to encourage full ripening

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5
Q

Describe wines made from Nebbiolo in Piedmont

A

pale ruby, turning pale garnet w/ in 3-5 yr
Pronounced intensity
Violet, rose, red cherry, red plum
High acid, tannin, can be high alcohol
Full body

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6
Q

What soils are said to produce the finest, most perfumed Nebbiolo wines?

A
  • calcareaous marl
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7
Q

How are Nebbiolo vines pruned?

A

pruned high b/c the first few buds are infertile
Therefore, it needs to be pruned w/ more buds so that those further up the shoot will bear fruit
Single Guyot is most common form b/c facilitates mechanical trimming of the canopy
Excessive exposure of grapes can cause problems (sunburn?)

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8
Q

Describe the canopy management of Nebbiolo

A

Often trained single Guyot to facilitate mechanical canopy trimming
Excessive exposure of grapes to sun a problem
Vigor req’s reg canopy management to avoid un-ripe fruit from shading
Cluster thinning to manage vigor (time-consuming & expensive)

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9
Q

What has research into clones of Nebbiolo that can produce deeper color wines found?

A

Some believe that the new clones have lost some of the variety’s high aromatic intensity
Many producers — particularly Gaja — prefer mass selection to propogate new vines

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10
Q

How are many producers choosing to propagate Nebbiolo? Why?
What are they looking to achieve?

A

Many prefer Mass Selection
Research into producing darker wines resulted in lower aromatic int
Desire is for vines w/ …
low vigor (for increased concentration)
Open bunches (to reduce fungal disease)
Small berries (good depth of color)

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11
Q

What are the key denominations for growing Nebbiolo?

A

Barolo DOCG
Barbaresco DOCG
Roero DOCG
Gattinara DOCG in N of Piemonte —> continental climate w/ higher acid
Ghemme DOCG in N of Piemonte —> continental climate w/ higher acid
As well as regional denominations Langhe Nebbiolo DOC & Nebbiolo d’Alba DOC
Note, some denominations, such as Valtellina in Lombardy also grow it, where it is often blended w/ small amount of other local varieties

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12
Q

How did Barolo come to fame?

A

It was associated w/ the royal House of Savoy
Came to be known as “the wine of kings, the king of wines”

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13
Q

Describe Barolo DOCG
Where are vineyards
What effect

A

S & SW facing slopes
Typically 200-400M —> good sunlight interception + cooling influences
Allows grapes to fully ripen over long growing season

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14
Q

What rules apply to Barolo DOCG

A

100% Nebbiolo
Max 56 hL/ha for all categories
Aged 3 yr & 2 mo from Nov 1 of harvest yr
Min 18mo oak

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15
Q

What rules apply to Barolo Riserva DOCG

A

100% Nebbiolo
Max 56 hL/ha (same for all categories)
Aged 5 yr & 2 mo from Nov 1 of harvest yr
Min 18mo oak

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16
Q

What are the key soil types of Barolo DOCG and how are they associated w/ styles of wine?

A

Blue-grey marl in N & W (such as La Morra) = lighter, more aromatic wines that are drinkable after a few yrs in bottle
Yellow-grey compacted sand and clay in S & E, less-fertile (ex: Serralunga d’Alba) = closed and tannins wines in youth, req 10-15 yrs in cellar

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17
Q

Is Barolo typically blended or single vineyard?

A

Historically, producers prided themselves on blending from a # of vineyards to get more complexity; Some continue to do so (ex: Bartolo Mascarello)
Certain single vineyards have long had a very high rep for quality (ex: Cannubi, Vigna Rionda); Single vineyard champions include Angelo Gala and Bruno Giacosa

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18
Q

What is the name for the system of sub zones that was introduced in Barolo? When?

A

Intro’d in 2010
Menzioni Geograpfiche Aggiuntive (MGA or MeGA, official add’l geo indications)

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19
Q

What are the different types of MGAs in Barolo? What are they?

A

MGAs — Menzioni Geografiche Aggiuntive — are sub-zones that were intro’d in 2010
Can be…
Entire villages (e.g. la Morra)
Specified single vineyards (e.g. Bussia or Cannubi)
A # of specified vineyards naw made into a single MGA (for ex: Via Nuova vineyard was included w/in Terlo MGA)
The term “Vigna” — vineyard — can now only appear as a labelling term if the name of the MGA is also stated

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20
Q

What is Barolo Chinato?

A

Barolo wine, sweetened and infused w/ herbs and spices
A very small amount made

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21
Q

How does the size of Barbaresco DOCG compare to Barolo DOCG?

A
  • Barbaresco is only abut 1/3 the size of Barolo
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22
Q

How do Barbaresco DOCG and Barolo DOCG compare?
Size
Altitude
Harvest timing

A

Barbaresco is only abut 1/3 the size of Barolo
Barbaresco is generally slightly lower altitude than Barolo’s 200-400M
Barb is slightly warmer and harvest is typically 1 week earlier
Barb is subtly riper allows for lower min aging reqs = 2 yr 2 mo from Nov 1 yr of harvest for DOCG, 4 yr 2 mo for Riserva; both req 9 mo wood
Barb = Max yield 56 hL/ha (same as Barolo)

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23
Q

How was Nebbiolo traditionally made into wine?

A

Used to involve very long maceration on skins (3-4 mo)
Followed by 5-8 years of aging in old wooden vessels to soften the tannins

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24
Q

How did winemakers of Nebbiolo shift from the traditional winemaking style in the 1970s and 80s?

A

a group of young producers (incl Elio Altare in Barolo and Angelo Gaja in Barbaresco) sought wines w/ deeper color, softer tannins and less need to be aged, with new oak flavors
This raised quality and prices
However, current practice has moderated these extremes

25
Q

What are the current practices related to winemaking of Nebbiolo?

A

Pick only grapes w/ ripe skins and seeds (to eliminate excessive tannins)
Macerate on skins for 3-4 weeks (much less than traditional 3-4 mo) for top wines
Age in either large format oak (FR or Slavonian) or combo of large and smaller format oak (barriques and up to 500L), only a small portion being new
Most (but not all) agree that overt vanilla and sweet spice from NFRO mask delicate aromas of Nebbiolo

26
Q

What are the DOCGs for Nebbiolo in the N of Piedmont? How do they differ from Barolo & Barbaresco?

A

Gattinara DOCG and Ghemme DOCG
Continental climate w/ greater diurnal variation
This results in wines of higher acidity

27
Q

Where would you expect an early drinking style of Nebbiolo to come from ?

A

Regional denominations
Such as Langhe Nebbiolo DOC or Nebbiolo d’Alba DOC

28
Q

How are early drinking styles of Nebbiolo made?

A

typically from young vines or less favored sites
Maceration 7-10 days (vs 3-4 weeks)
Matured for up to 1 yr in neutral containers
Sometimes used to declassify Nebbiolo Langhe, Barolo or Barbaresco

29
Q

Describe Barbera in Piemonte
Vineyard area as compared to Nebbiolo
Main places grown and where is best quality

A

About 3x vineyard area as Nebbiolo, #1 grape of Piemonte
Widely grown throughout IT but concentrated around towns of Asti & Alba, as well a area known as Monferrato
Best quality comes from Asti and its sub-zones such as Nizza DOCG

30
Q

Why doesn’t Barbera get the best sites around Alba?

A

Because the best sites are reserved for Nebbiolo
However, it is less sensitive to site than Nebbiolo, so it can still be good quality

31
Q

Describe the Barbera grape in Piedmont
Budding & ripening
Vigor
Susceptibilities
Site selection

A

relatively early budding —> prone to frost
Ripens late, but before Nebbiolo
Very vigorous
Disease resistant, although susceptible to fan leaf virus
Can be grown on a range of sites (not as sensitive to site)

32
Q

What can be done to increase quality of Barbera

A

Can produce very high yields, so control vigor
Prune hard for more concentrated wines

33
Q

Describe typical Barbera wines in Piedmont

A

M to deep ruby
M int
Red plum and red cherry, sometimes black pepper
High acid
Relatively low tannins (can be M)
M alcohol
Range of styles from traditional lightly sparking to still wine for early drinking
G to VG, $ to $$, w/ some VG to O that command premium price

34
Q

How are highly concentrated Barbera wines made?

A

fruit grown at lower yields, from old vines
Wines matured in FRO barriques (pioneered by Giacomo Bologna) —> oak tannins add to body of wines and gives them capacity to age

35
Q

What rules apply to Barbera d’Asti DOCG
How does this compare to Superiore category?
How about Nizza DOCG

A

Barbera d’Asti DOCG
max yield 63 hL/ha
Must be aged for min 4 mo (only!)
Superiore
aged min 14 mo, 6 of which in oak
Nizza
max 49 hL/ha
18 mo age, 6 of which must be oak

36
Q

What rules apply to Piemonte DOC?
Grape(s)
Yield
implication(s)

A

Barbera
84 hL/ha (vs Barbera d’Asti DOCG at 63)
Wines can be low concentration, although less expensive to make

37
Q

What key difference(s) between Dolcetto vs Nebbiolo and Barbera?

A

Dolcetto ripens early and can be grown on cooler sites
Has low vigor

38
Q

What susceptibilities does Dolcetto have?

A

fungal diseases
Fragile (buds are easily broken)
Ripening can be blocked by prolonged spells of cold weather

39
Q

What accounts for the decrease in Dolcetto plantings in Piemonte?

A

it is susceptible to fungal disease, is fragile, has low vigor, and ripening can be blocked by prolonged spells of cold weather
Higher prices of Nebbiolo have led growers to switch to it

40
Q

What is common for winemaking with Dolcetto? Why?

A

highly reductive in winery
This req’s frequent pump overs or rack-and-return to intro O2 and avoid off-flavors
To retain primary fruit character, ferment temps generally mid-range
Short skin maceration (7-15 days)
Soft extraction methods to avoid extracting naturally high tannins
Most aged in SS or cement to preserve primary fruit

41
Q

What is the typical quality level and price for Dolcetto?

A

G to VG
$ to $$
Some VG to O w/ premium price

42
Q

What are the best areas/denominations for Dolcetto

A

Dolcetto d’Alba DOC
Dogliani DOCG
Dolcetto di Ovada DOC
Dolcetto di Ovada Superiore DOCG

43
Q

Describe a typical Dolcetto wine from Piemonte

A

deep ruby color
M+ int
Red cherry fruit, floral notes
M(-) acid
M(+) tannins
G to VG, $ to $$

44
Q

What are the typical yields for Dolcetto in Piedmont

A

Dolcetto d’Alba DOC max 63 hL/ha
Dolcetto di Ovada DOC and Superiore DOCG are slightly lower

45
Q

What is Freisa?

A

an indigenous variety from Piemonte
Related to Nebbiolo
Highly aromatic like Nebbiolo, but w/o its high tannins

46
Q

Describe a wine made from Coretese

A

light intensity
Lemon, apple/ pear, white flower
High acid
M body
Most are made for early drinking
G w/ some VG, $ to $$ w/ some premium age-able examples

47
Q

Describe the Cortese grape in Piemonte
Skins
susceptibility (s)

A

thin skinned
Susceptible to grey rot in rainy conditions

48
Q

Describe the typical winemaking for Cortese

A

After pressing, must fermented at mid range temps
Top qual wines may get a few hrs pre-ferment maceration for > int
Typically aged in SS to preserve primary fruit
Most made for early drinking (some top can be aged for tertiary)

49
Q

What are the key denominations in Piemonte that use Cortese grape? What rules?

A

Gavi or Cortese di Gavi DOCG
must be entirely Cortese
Max yield 67 hL/ha
Gavi del commune di Gavi DOCG
grapes grown entirely w/in municipality of Gavi
Riserva
max 45 hL/ha
Must be aged 1 year in any vessel before release

50
Q

Name significant producers of Gavi wines

A

Castellari Bergaglio
La Scolca

51
Q

Where is most Arneis grown

A
  • around Roero, in Piemonte
52
Q

Describe a typical Arneis wine

A

light int
Complex aromas of white flowers, chamomile, white peach, lemon
M(-) acid
G w/ some VG
$ to $$ w/ some premium examples

53
Q

What is critical for harvesting Arneis?

A

must be picked as soon as desired ripeness is achieved b/c acidity drops very rapidly
Care must be taken to minimize O2 contact as it oxidizes easily

54
Q

What is the key denomination for Arneis? What rules?

A

Roero Arneis DOCG
Min 95% Arneis
Yields up to 70 hL/ha

55
Q

Key producers of Arneis?

A

Vietti
Bruno Giacosa

56
Q

What is notable about the designations w/in Piedmont?

A

There are no PGI/ IGT wines
Wines are either simple “wine” category, or are DOC/DOCG

57
Q

Describe the wine biz in Piedmont

A

small family-owned farms predominantly
Compared to other parts of IT, little consolidation
In past, many sold to larger producers
Now, w/ rising prices for Nebbiolo wines, many estate bottle and mkt their own wines

58
Q

What % of Barolo and Barbaresco is exported?
Top markets?

A

Barolo 85%
Barbaresco 75%
USA, GER, UK, Scandinavia

WSET D3 2023 (24 decks)

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