2012 Giovanni Rosso, Langhe Nebbiolo DOC, Piedmonte, Italy.
Here is a serious and charming Nebbiolo from Davide Rosso, who is making a big name for himself in recent vintages, this a label to buy now and keep an eye on, the latest set are some of his most compelling offerings, especially good is this Langhe Nebbiolo, which is on par with many a costlier Barolo! I tried some of his earlier 2008 wines and loved them immediately for their quality, character and finesse, this guy is making some beauties! There is more joy in this Nebbiolo that one would hope for in a wine in this price class, in fact as mentioned, you could easily be fooled into thinking you were drinking a Barolo, maybe not a top Cru, but you get the idea, this is great stuff. The nose of Davide’s Giovanni Rosso Langhe Nebbiolo starts with dried roses, hints of incense, tar, kirsch and menthol leading to a complex palate of black cherry, damson plum, balsamico dipped strawberry and dried red currant along with iron tinged mineral, salted black licorice, cedar and olive/herb notes. The weight is medium bodied, with 14% alcohol, good fine tannins and well judged acidity and focus, this shows youthful grip, but is alluring and hard to resist, drink from 2015 to 2021, impressive, classy and pure all the way.
($27 Est.) 93 Points, grapelive