Vietti Perbacco Langhe Nebbiolo, 2009

According to the Vietti website, just "before the last blending for the bottling of our Barolo Castiglione, we select the casks to use for our Nebbiolo Perbacco." Appellation rules for Barolo require that kind of strict selection, preserving only the finest barrels for the Barolo wine. Vietti's Barolo Castiglione sells for about $65 a bottle; Perbacco, the second wine, sells for $25, and it is perennially one of the best values in Piedmont Nebbiolo. It is, indeed, a Baby Barolo, if not a sibling.

Medium deep with some orange tints. Early aging (the first six months) for Perbacco is in new oak barriques, but the oak influence is not easily detectable. The bouquet is slow to develop but is typical of Piedmont Barolo. Fruity and meaty with a hint of flowers on the bouquet. Big in the mouth. Dried berries, cinnamon, cloves and black licorice. Deep and concentrated. Tannic presence of a Barolo, but the fruit shines through as the wine airs in the glass. 2009 was not a great vintage in the Piedmont, but this Perbacco is showing well and may even improve over the next few years.