Nervi Conterno, Gattinara, Valferana 2018

The 2018 Gattinara Valferana is explosive right out of the glass. Supporting veins of tannin carry a core of red fruit, cinnamon, rose petal, blood orange, mint and white pepper. The Valferana is complex and wonderfully deep from start to finish. Valferana is the cooler of the two single vineyard Gattinaras that are bottled separately here. The 2018 is a special wine.

As all Nebbiolo lovers know well, this mighty Piedmont grape is especially sensitive to place. That's the main takeaway with the Conterno Nervi 2018 Gattinara Vigna Valferana. This is a west-facing vineyard at 300 to 350 meters in altitude that is characterized by volcanic soils and slightly cooler conditions, resulting in an etched and very focused expression of Nebbiolo (as opposed to Molsino that tends to be open-knit and more concentrated). Valferana is tightly chiseled and crisp, with blue flower, sour cherry, tobacco smoke, underbrush and candied orange peel. The wine offers a complete picture of the grape from Gattinara with some extra tannic edge to carry it through the years.