Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2011 Arneis is gorgeous in this vintage. Yellow-fleshed fruit, white flowers and mint are all woven together in this textured, totally inviting wine. In 2011, the estate gave 15% of the fruit a short maceration on the skins, resulting in a wine of unusual complexity. The 2011 has one foot firmly planted in the Roero but is also quite ambitious and forward-looking in style. This is not your father’s Arneis, but it is totally striking. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2014.
Yielding a dry and subtly scented wine, Arneis is the star white grape of Piedmont. Though the grape has been local to Roero since the 1400s, it didn’t experience real popularity until the 1980s when local demand for white wine exploded. Somm Secret—A few key Roero producers are also focusing on exploring the ageability of high quality Arneis. It is only grown outside of Piedmont to a very limited extent.
Even to this day, the Roero folklore lives on about witchcraft lurking behind its dramatic contours and obscure woods—but these stories only add to the region’s allure and charm. Actually today Roero winemakers are some of the most astute and motivated in Piedmont. While the white Arneis has attracted global attention for some time, now Roero Nebbiolo wines (elevated to the same DOCG status as Barolo and Barbaresco) are making a name for themselves. Keep an eye on any labeled with the vineyard, Valmaggiore, as Barolo producers have been investing here for years. If you’re looking for hidden gems, this is your region!