Nebbiolo is among the world’s great red grapes, able to create wines that impeccably balance power and elegance. While Piedmont’s Barolo and Barbaresco appellations are the two places in the world where Nebbiolo reaches its greatest heights, the variety also grows in the broader Langhe region outside those appellations, labeled simply as “Langhe Nebbiolo.”
Same climate, same soil, same grape variety: Perhaps the wines don’t reach the level of top cru Barolos, but they echo them in character, and they are substantially more affordable. For those seeking an entryway into the world of Nebbiolo, these nine bottles are great options.
9 Langhe Nebbiolosto drink now
2023 G.D. Vajra Langhe Nebbiolo ($24)
The G.D. Vajra estate is located in Vergne, one of the highest villages in the commune of Barolo, and this supple red captures Nebbiolo at its most inviting. It’s abundant with cherry-strawberry fruit, a hint of violets, and easygoing rather than aggressive tannins.
2022 Azienda Agricola Ronchi In Amphoris Langhe Nebbiolo ($33)
The Ronchi cru produces some of the best Barbarescos around, and this wine comes from declassified fruit from those vines. It’s more intense than most Langhe Nebbiolos, but a year in terra-cotta amphorae helps soften its substantial tannins.
2023 Piero Busso Langhe Nebbiolo ($35)
This family-owned winery near Neive is known for its long-aging, single-cru Barbarescos. This wine has a generous, easygoing character, all ripe raspberry and baking spices, with a light cola note. It comes from younger vines in Barbaresco and the surrounding area.
2022 Vietti Perbacco Langhe Nebbiolo ($35)
On the more elegant side, this red from longtime Barolo star Vietti offers aromatic notes of dried herbs and forest floor, then leans into red berry fruit lifted by finely tuned acidity. On its own, it can come off a little tart; add some tajarin pasta with a sausage ragù, and that equation changes completely.
2024 Elvio Cogno Montegrilli Langhe Nebbiolo ($37)
Winemaker and co-owner Valter Fissore hopes this wine can act as a “first door to Barolo” for wine lovers who are just delving into Piemontese wine. There’s no new oak here, just a lovely bright aroma of cranberries and herbs, with an alluring savory depth on the palate. In some ways you could think of it as being almost cru Beaujolais in style — but it’s Langhe Nebbiolo through and through.
2022 Bruno Rocca Fralù Langhe Nebbiolo ($40)
The Rocca family has been in Barbaresco since the early 1800s but, like many historic Piedmontese families, didn’t start making wine under its own name until 1978. This red from younger vines suggests spiced currants and cherries, with a hint of fresh bay leaf.
2022 Massolino Langhe Nebbiolo ($44)
Massolino’s Barolos — particularly from the famed Vigna Rionda cru — are benchmarks for the area around Serralunga d’Alba. This transparently ruby-hued wine delivers a lot of the same character — red berry flavor, with a floral note of violets — at a much more modest price.
2023 Sandrone Valmaggiore Nebbiolo d’Alba ($60)
Luciano Sandrone was a Barolo legend until his death in 2023, and his work has been brilliantly carried on by his brother Luca and daughter Barbara. This red has gorgeous rose-petal and raspberry aromas, supple tannins, and lingering flavors.
I also recently opened a bottle of the 2010, and at 15 years of age it was drinking spectacularly well; proof that top flight Nebbiolos from outside the classic Barbaresco and Barolo DOCGs can also age impressively over time.
2022 Giovanni Rosso Langhe Nebbiolo Ester Canale ($200)
Davide Rosso’s deft touch — and the extraordinary terroir of the Vigna Rionda cru — combine in this scintillating red. It’s a pricey wine, to be sure, but it’s also a Langhe Rosso that far outshines many actual Barolos with its silky but substantial tannins, subtle layers of raspberry-cherry flavor, and complex, savory, long-lasting finish.
(All that said, the regular 2022 Giovanni Rosso Langhe Nebbiolo ($35) is also impressive, and substantially more affordable; hard to go wrong either way.)
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