La Vedetta 'Ca Grossa', Barbaresco, Piemonte, Italy 2018

Located just 3 KM west of the town of Barbaresco is La Vedetta, a small 3.5 HA winery dedicated solely to Nebbiolo. While studying and working abroad, Marco Viglino watched his beloved home of the Langhe transform from a provincial community into a world-class UNESCO World Heritage Site. Wanting to ensure that his family land and vines would also remain a Home for him in is future, Marco and his partner Swantje, whom he met while abroad in Germany, returned to Tre Stella in 2016 and began La Vedetta. 

• Winemaker:  Marco Viglino 
• Farming: Organic
• Variety: Nebbiolo
• Terroir: Within the Cà Grossa MGA. 25-30 year old vines from a half-hectare plot of marl and a touch of fine sand.  Southeastern exposure at 250 meters above sea level. 
• Vinification: Hand-harvested in early October, grape selection is done in the vineyard. The wine  then undergoes fermentation in stainless steel tank, followed by about 20 days of maceration in stainless steel to complete malolactic.
• Aging: In 700 liter oak tonneaux for about 20 months. Bottled in the summer. 
• Tasting notes: Ripe red cherry with ethereal notes of violets and earthy spice, with delicate tannins contributing to a long finish — stunning, fine, elegant, balanced. 
• Only 2,500 bottles produced

From our Q2 Full Case bottle club notes:

La Vedetta  |  ‘Ca Grossa’ Barbaresco | Piemonte, Italy  |  2017

    Marco Viglino spent years abroad working in the corporate world, but after the wine boom that occurred in Piedmont in the 2000s, he embraced his heritage and decided to continue his family’s winemaking tradition in Barbaresco. La Vedetta (“the high peak”) is his passion project, created alongside his partner Swantje  whom he met while working abroad in Germany. Together, they have quickly turned La Vedetta into a standout winery. The winery is tiny— only 10,000 bottles total production — split between a few bottlings. In the grand scheme, Marco & Swantje are barely on the radar of most US sommeliers, so we were very lucky to find them early. 

     2017 is Marco and Swantje’s first ever Barbaresco vintage, and take our word for it—it is STUNNING. As Nebbiolo lovers, we are beyond  impressive that this is their inaugural bottling of the ‘Cà Grossa’ cru. This single vineyard, planted with 30 year old vines, sits at the heart of La Vedetta’s Nebbiolo holdings. The soil composition in Cà Grossa (marly limestone, with a hefty serving of sandstone) helps to create richly aromatic and finessed Nebbiolo, giving off soft aromas of rose water, wet tobacco and sweet red cherries. The wine is fermented in stainless steel before aging in 700-litre oak tonneaus for about 20 months. Bottling takes place in summer. 

    On the palate, the wine packs a punch of super fine tannins, which is difficult to find in such a young Barbaresco. With just a bit of decanting, this Barbaresco is highly open and expressive right out of the gate; the lingering acidity, though, assures us that this wine has so many years of life ahead of it, and will age well for 10-15 years.

—Simi Grewal