2024 Giovanni Almondo, `Bricco Ciliegie` Arneis - Liberty

This family-owned estate is based in Montà, in the Roero hills north of Alba. Although the Almondo family has lived here for over 600 years, Domenico Almondo was the first, in the early 1980s, to make wine from their 18 hectares of meticulously tended vines. He is now assisted by his sons Stefano and Domenico. Domenico’s fame grew as he supplied asparagus and Arneis to some of Piemonte’s finest restaurants. However, the demand for Arneis now means less time for asparagus, unfortunately.

Domenico was born in a cascina (farmhouse) at the foot of Bricco delle Ciliegie. This splendid hill is one of the highest in the Roero, close to the northern border of the denomination. The high elevation, combined with soils comprised more of clay and chalk than the classically sandy soils of Vezza and Canale, create a unique style of wine. They are defined by a tightly wound palate, excellent depth and perfumes that develop complexity with time. ‘Bricco delle Ciliegie’ is simply made. After pressing, fermentation occurs in temperature-controlled stainless-steel tanks, where it matures for six months. The result is a unique expression of Arneis. Powerful, vibrant and defined, its distinctive aromatics and great length make it a must-stock wine in the finest restaurants of the Langhe.

The oldest vines on the hill hail from a small plot just behind the Cascina. These 60-year-old vines are planted on a steep, southeast-facing slope, providing the fruit for the 3,500 bottles of ‘Le Rive del Bricco’. It is unoaked, whole bunch pressed and vinified without cold settling, so the juice has a higher turbidity level. This comes out in the muted perfumes that give way to a lovely weight and texture on the palate. Following fermentation, the wine spends 12 months on its lees and is bottled a year after vintage.

The family also has vineyards further south, west of Canale, where they produce Nebbiolo ‘Bric Valdiana’. The wine is 100% Nebbiolo, produced from a southeast-facing single vineyard planted on sandy chalk soils. After a cold soak (to extract colour and aromas), the juice and wine spend about three weeks on the skins during and after fermentation before ageing for approximately 18 months in large Slavonian oak casks. This graceful and elegant wine displays complexity typical of Nebbiolo from this historical but lesser-known denomination.

The single vineyard Bricco delle Ciliegie is made with Arneis grown at 390m above sea level, which is a unique vineyard altitude in southern Piemonte, and the highest vineyard elevation in the Roero appellation. The consistent wind, exposure, altitude and acidity of the soil are fundamental in creating the fresh and bright style of this wine. The vines are Guyot trained, 40 years old and planted at a density of 4000 plants per hectare.

The 2024 vintage began with a mild winter and some rainfall, which helped restore soil water reserves after a dry summer. The spring weather was also mild, allowing for regular bud break across varieties and the summer months were consistently hot, these factors resulted in a reduced yield of around 30%.