Viberti Langhe Nebbiolo 2023

You know how sometimes you want a Barolo, but you also want to drink it tonight? That’s this wine. It’s Nebbiolo from the same hallowed hills, with the same bright soul, but sort of Barolo’s younger, more energetic sibling. The 2023 vintage was a drama queen: a wet spring, a scorching summer, and just enough stress to make the grapes get serious. They hand-harvest, ferment some whole clusters and destem the other part, and age it mostly in steel, with a small kiss of Slavonian oak. But here’s the thing: the oak is steamed, not fired, so there’s no smoky mask. It’s just a quiet caress, a frame around the wine’s beautiful soul.

This is pure, juicy Nebbiolo. All fresh raspberries, wild strawberries, and a whiff of violets, with this lovely crushed-chalk minerality running underneath. The tannins are there, but they’re polite. The acidity is bright. This is the kind of red you open and think, “Oh, this is why I love Italian wine.”