***BOTTLING MID-OCTOBER, SHIPPING SHORTLY AFTER***
This might be the rarest one yet.
The conditions needed to grow great Nebbiolo are so specific that it hardly exists outside of northwest Italy. In California, Nebbiolo’s slice of the total pie represents 0.012%, or barely one hundredth of one percent. This extreme scarcity isn’t for lack of potential – after all, it’s one of the world’s most revered grapes, with Barolo and Barbaresco among the greatest bottles in any elite cellar. The issue is finding the right home for this notoriously finicky varietal.
Nebbiolo flowers early, making new growth susceptible to damage from spring frost. It also ripens very late, struggling to reach maturity in cooler years. Its long growing season leaves the fruit at risk of exposure to fall rains. It likes plenty of sunshine, but not excessive heat. The vines are naturally vigorous, demanding strict canopy pruning to keep nutrients focused on the berries. At least it’s not overly picky about dirt…just kidding, it prefers limestone-rich soils. And if any of these elements aren’t quite right, don’t worry: Nebbiolo is famously sensitive (perhaps even more than Pinot), so you’ll definitely know something’s amiss. This grape is needy.
Enter a perfect site in Santa Barbara.
Lot 628 is an ultra-rare American expression of an Italian classic, and like the best Italians, is light in the glass but strikingly concentrated on the palate – think New World Barbaresco with a coastal influence. Piedmont’s noble red is expertly showcased here, produced by winemakers that clearly care about artistry for artistry’s sake – putting up with such high maintenance is an act of love, after all. 100% estate-grown in all the precise conditions the finest Nebbiolo thrives in, this passion project wine sells for north of $45 under the original label. Given such a tiny list of names producing this grape at a high level in the entire state, we’ve waited years for the right opportunity to emerge, and when this stunner popped into our sights we immediately struck a deal and managed to land it for over 70% OFF – a glorious value at $13/bottle. It’s easily in the running for our rarest acquisition of the year, so don’t hold your breath for another coming down the pike anytime soon!
Our price: $159/case DELIVERED, $13+/bottle to your door!
The 2024 Santa Barbara growing season delivered exceptional conditions for Nebbiolo. Favorable clear conditions during bloom established a robust and healthy fruit set, while a warm summer was tempered by cool Pacific air funneled inland through the local transverse valleys. For this late-ripening grape, that combination set the stage for both full ripeness and ample freshness. Harvest went off smoothly, allowing their winemaker to capture the fruit at its peak and work magic. A traditional Italian approach to the oak program put the finishing polish on this tantalizing beauty.
Aromas of cherry, cranberry, rose petals, and earthen clay revel across the nose, with a core of dragon fruit haloed by tobacco leaf, cedar, and cola. On the palate, cranberry-like acidity lifts raspberry and cherry atop tobacco, leather, black tea, and delicate herbs, all framed by excellent acidity and small, plentiful tannins. The finish is dry and persistent, carrying red berries and uplifted spice into rose hips and hibiscus through the exit. Delightful.
