Cantine Garrone Prunent Valli Ossolane Nebbiolo Superiore DOC – 2022

100% Nebbiolo from vines over 30 years old (with some well over 100 years old) on south, east and west facing slopes with rocky Alpine soils comprising granite, schist and limestone.

2022 was a warm and sunny vintage, which in this cool, Alpine territory is a good thing and usually produces the most interesting wines! The wine is fresh, elegant and fine. It has tension and crystal-pure fruit flavours – prunes with hints of bitter orange and lime. There is good depth of fruit on the mid palate and the tannins are gentle and refined. An excellent “mountain-style” Nebbiolo from Alto Piemonte, which is fascinating to compare with the warmer climate wines from Gattinara and Ghemme further south in this region. 13.5% alcohol.

This wine would pair well with a chestnut risotto, mixed cold salami or mountain cheeses

Rated 94/100pts by Antonio Galloni, Vinous

670 cases were produced. Drink now – 2032.

The Valli Ossolane DOC is the most northerly subzone of Alto Piemonte and very definitely “Alpine” in character. In the early 1800s there were over 1000 hectares of vines on the mountain slopes here to the north, east and west of the town of Domodossola. Today only 40 hectares remain; these vineyards are tiny and their ownership highly fragmented.

Cantina Garrone was founded in 1994 by Marco Garrone, and in recent years he has been joined by his son Matteo. They now own three hectares of old vines, planted on steep terraces in traditional “pergola” style. The vines grow on their original rootstocks because phylloxera was not able to survive in the rocky, granitic soils here. Some of their amazing old Nebbiolo vines are over 250 years old, and still produce grapes which go into this Prünent!

This Prünent is fermented and matured for eight months in steel tanks, then spends one year in large oak casks followed by a further six months in bottle before release.