2020 Castello di Perno – Gregorio Gitti, Nascetta, Langhe DOC, Piemonte, Italy.
Nascetta, an extremely rare Langhe white grape, is now made into wine by only a dozen or so producers and is very hard to find in the States, so I was thrilled to try this Castello ddi Perno version by Gregorio Gitti, a respected lawyer and Professor of Civil Law at Milan University, who bought this old property with the eye on making some fine Barolo offerings, as well as some excellent alternative bottlings like this one. In the last decade or so there has been a revival of native white varietals in Piemonte and they’ve become a hit with dry, crisp and mineral driven profiles, and Nascetta and others fill a nice niche. Made to preserve intensity and fresh detail, the 100% Nascetta by Gregorio Gitti is fermented and aged in stainless steel, seeing 6 months in tank and another 6 months in bottle before release. This light bodied and pale straw hued steely and delicately aromatic, with a faint floral note, Langhe Nascetta is brightly lemon zesty with hints of white peach, almond, saline, wet stones and is flinty in character.

Castello di Perno was a lesser known property in Barolo, but after Gregorio Gitti purchased it and the estate in 2012 from the famous Einaudi family, of Barolo fame, things started to get exciting and these wines are great discoveries. As I recently mentioned here, tasting Gigi’s Barbera, I am nuts for a good Barbera, especially those by Luca Curado (formerly of Vietti), Giorgio Rivetti of La Spinetta and Giuseppe Vajra of G.D. Vajra, so when I found Gigi’s Castello di Perno in my glass earlier this year, I instantly became very smitten with it and highly recommend the Gitti and Castello di Perno bottlings, for their Nizza Barbera, and the Nebbiolo bottlings, as well, especially the Perno Cru Barolo, plus their rare Nascetta, seen here, which is an indigenous Piemonte white varietal, like Erbaluce, Arneis and Timorasso that you don’t often here in states. I really enjoyed this Nascetta with food and as an aperitif, it worked as a nice palate cleanse and was delicious with some grilled white asparagus. It would be a very suitable alternative to Chablis or Sancerre, and way better and more interesting than most Pinot Grigio or New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc that you’d find in this price range and it has a more of a savvy or cool factor about it.
($25 Est.) 92 Points, grapelive

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