Expected Spring 2024
Our tasting impressions
Yet another first-time offering from Osvaldo and it too seems like the best he's made. We first tasted this a few weeks after bottling. We are impressed with its smooth tannins and charming, bold fruit. Definitely a product of this remarkable vintage as it shows more concentration than one expects from a Langhe Nebbiolo. Most enjoyable!
About this wine
100% Nebbiolo from two small vineyards about .8 ha in total planted about twenty years old and and trained in the Guyot system.
The grapes are harvested at the beginning of October followed by fermentation for approximately 8/10 days at a temperature of 28 degrees. Malolactic fermentation takes place in steel tanks, after which the wine is decanted into 500 liter tonneaux where it ages for approximately 6 months. Bottling is in June.
About the grape
Nebbiolo, the name believed to be derived from nebbia, Italian for fog, is a grape with one of the most protracted maturation cycles. It buds in early spring and ripens late fall (when the winter nebbia from the Alps reaches the vineyards).
Nebbiolo vines tend to grow upwardly with abandon, so management is essential to limit grape production and channel energy to them. They also are very particular about where they will thrive, which is why Nebbiolo is seldom found outside of Piedmont. Even there, it only is successful when planted on south facing slopes (much sun is needed for ripening), at elevations between 250 and 450 meters (lower there is too much frost exposure, higher the grapes won’t ripen).
Wines from Nebbiolo usually are pale-colored, high in acidity and very tannic. Common flavor descriptors are rose and tar. They tend to be highly aromatic.
About the vintage
2022 began with a cold and dry winter. The vines got much needed water from the run off of mountain snow melt during the mild spring. But late spring and summer were scaldingly hot and still dry. The resulting crop reduction meant richly, concentrated grapes. Overall, 2022 was on par with 2003 for historic heat but because of improved farming practices, conscientious producers had much fresher fruit.
Osvaldo Viberti located in La Morra produces Barolo, Barbera, Dolcetto, Langhe Nebbiolo and a little known but wonderful white called Langhe Nascetta. The 10-hectare Azienda produces about 40,000 bottles per year with the help of his friend, and renowned oenologist, Sergio Molino.
Osvaldo remembers fondly helping his grandfather farm grapes to sell from their vineyards. His father began making wine but not bottling. In 1993, Osvaldo took control and began bottling and marketing his wine. Today, he is joined in this endeavor by his children Paolo and Anna.
Viberti farms naturally and organically without certification. He has not used pesticides in 3 years. All the bunches are destemmed and almost all of the fermentation is naturally occurring. He does manual pump-overs and pushes down the caps.
There is something uncommonly nice about Osvaldo. He is humble, sincere and genuinely kind and you can taste these attributes in his excellent wines.
