Colombera & Garella
Sesia Rosso 2016
Wine Info
Region: Coste della Sesia, Alta Piemonte, Italy
Grapes: Nebbiolo 75%, 15% Vespolina, 15% Croatina
ABV: 13%
Winemaker: Cristiano Garella
Viticulture: Organic
Winemaking: Natural yeast fermentation, 10-12 months aging in neutral oak barrels
“This wine is a walk in the freshly-rained woods”
I’ve been following Cristiano Garella for a while. Sommeliers follow winemakers they like the same way we follow musicians and artists. We’re curious about their inspirations. We’re excited for their new releases. We get nerdy about following their careers and floored when they collaborate with other talent.
Cristiano is a young winemaker that is killing the game right now. To be a successful winemaker in your mid 30s is a big deal. To call him successful is less a measure of wealth and prestige than it is pure influence. He’s making wine at two wineries and consulting for nearly twenty more.
The general region where Cristiano does his work is called the Alta Piemonte, tucked into northwestern Italy. Piemonte is spelled Piedmont in English–it means “at the foot of the mountains” in Italian. Most of the regions in Piemonte enjoy a panoramic view of the French-Italian alps. You may have heard of a little wine called Barolo. Or the Torino winter Olympics. That’s the region we’re talking about. Drive north a while from Barolo, and you’re in the Alta Piemonte. They grow the same Nebbiolo grapes as Barolo and Barbaresco, but also blend them with the local Croatina and Vespolina.
This Coste della Sesia is proof Alta Piemonte is worth checking out. If you’re turned off by expensive Barolo that takes years to become drinkable, drink this instead. Not only is it ready to drink now, it’s actually very complex.
This wine is all about aromatics. Pine needles, forest floor, dried cherries and woodsmoke lift out of the glass. More notes of crushed rose petal, star anise, and sweet tobacco. On the palate, this wine rocks. Italian sour-fruit funk, tart cherry, and some angular but fun, mouth-coating tannins. This wine is a walk in the freshly-rained woods, looking for porcini mushrooms. Get after it.
suggested pairings.
Mushroom Pasta
With a wine so earthy, so textured, so funky, it’s hard to say no to mushrooms in any form. If you like a rich, saucy mushroom pasta, you should try this Porcini Mushroom Ragù, which will be a great foil for the nuanced and complex Nebbiolo blend in your glass. If you want a great pairing but don’t necessarily want red sauce, keep it simple with a cleaner mushroom and butter pasta. Tagliatelle ai Funghi is clean, simple, and lets the wine shine while the food plays a delicious supporting role. I intentionally picked the recipe with the fewest steps and ingredients.
Roast Chicken with Root Vegetables
This is not the last time I’ll mention this recipe. It’s become one of my family’s most treasured things to make. Thomas Keller is one of the greatest living chefs and has had an outsize influence on the American and world culinary scene. What I love most about him is his simple recipes. Turns out that being really good at haut cuisine also makes you damn good at the simple things. I loooooove Nebbiolo with this dish–the rootsy vegetal flavors really stand out nicely in the dish and the wine. Enjoy roasting this chicken, please follow the instructions and leave it out for a couple hours to come to temp. Fridge-temp cold chicken in the oven just doesn’t work well. If you want real perfection, leave it uncovered in the fridge for a whole night + day ahead of time. It dries the skin out and makes it extra cracklin’ good.
“All Things Go” -Mighty Oaks
My friend Ian has a band, and they’re awesome. We actually played a song at our high school graduation together. Since then, he moved to Germany, started a band, and is now opening for and touring the world with the Lumineers. Yes, the freaking Lumineers. Damn. The Mighty Oaks just released and album and I absolutely adore the song All Things Go. He even name checks our hometown, Gig Harbor. So check this song out, and blast it loud as the sun starts to peek through these northern hemisphere clouds.
Learn with the Circle
Join us on Youtube as we discuss the nuances of this wine and all the fun things that make it unique.
- Jackson