Vine Path Blog 9/21: Negro Lorenzo

Negro Lorenzo

Vine Path Blog 9/21

There’s a joke piece of advice that some take seriously when ordering wine off of a restaurant menu. “What’s good? Anything from Italy that starts with a ‘B’”. Between Barolo, Barbaresco, and Brunello, there doesn’t seem to be much room left in the collective consciousness of wine drinkers (particularly red exclusive drinkers) when it comes to great Italian wine. Stuck in their ways, these consumers are missing out on some of the most exciting wines and regions on the peninsula while presumably throwing away a lot of money that could be put to better use elsewhere. No offense to the famous ‘B’ regions, but a value is no longer to be had from them. Like Napa and the Medoc, their bottles have become priced for access, not quality. No matter how good their wines might be, and they are often overwhelmingly good, transcendently good, their inaccessibility with consumers will only work against them in the future when the youth grow up and ask, having never had it before, “what’s Barolo?”

The actual soil of the vineyards at Negro Lorenzo

Enter Roero, the overlooked northern neighbor to Barbaresco and Barolo in lower Piedmont. Without the collective clout, the wines of Roero represent an incredible value for the region on the whole, particularly when it comes to it’s king grape Nebbiolo. Geologically, Roero is markedly unique in Piedmont. It’s situated in a valley that was once an ocean, which explains why their vineyards are loose and sandy, and loaded with marine fossils. Without exaggeration, while walking their vineyards you can literally scoop up these fossils wherever you’re standing. This is in stark contrast to the often rocky, but more often lime-rich clay, nutrient-rich soils of Barbaresco and Barolo. The difference this geology makes is profound. Clay soils don’t radiate as much heat as sandy soils, nor do they retain as much water or nutrients. The vines of Roero are distinctly stressed in a way the rest of the region isn’t. One notable point of comparison here is the world famous Barolo cru of Cannubi, which is similarly sandy to Roero. This example I think makes the option live that Roero can achieve much more in terms of quality than previously expected.

In our minds, there is no better example of what is possible in Roero then Negro Lorenzo, a dynamic winery that’s producing a broad range of terroir-ist wines from the classic grapes of the region. Negro Lorenzo, as it turns out, has been producing wine for over 100 years, though only for a local audience. It was only in the past 10 years that the family decided to level up and make the case globally for their region’s wines. This month we’re proud to help make a case for Roero and introduce you to the wines of Negro Lorenzo.

Negro Lorenzo Roero Arneis 2020

Arneis is most likely Roero’s most famous grape, as the region historically produced a ton of it. Like most Italian whites, Arneis is woefully underappreciated, even if it’s from it’s ‘Grand Cru’ in Roero. The silty sand and fossil rich soil makes for truly energetic and mineral intense Arneis, a style honed to perfection at Negro Lorenzo. I have a theory that Italian whites are overlooked partially because they’re consumed too young. I find that the best Italian whites are often tightly wound and in need of some time in bottle to show themselves for what they truly are. This is why it’s a great idea to decant your white wines, people! I guarantee you that if you give this wine several hours to breathe you’re going to get a lot more out of it. Your Arneis, being a wine of texture, will much appreciate it.

Negro Lorenzo Langhe Dolcetto 2019

To my mind, Dolcetto is the proverbial red-headed step child of Piedmontese reds; under-rated, under-valued, too quickly dismissed, and lacking in proper investment. There is another cliché around Italian wine, that Dolcetto and Barbera are ‘lunch wines’, while Nebbiolo is the ‘dinner wine’. I have no idea what that is supposed to mean, other than to insult Dolcetto, Barbera, and the concept of Lunch all at the same time. As a fan of all three I’m sensitive to this fallacy, for Dolcetto happens to be one of my absolute favorite Italian red varietals. When made right, it’s as profound as Nebbiolo (come at me Barolo snobs!) Negro Lorenzo’s Dolcetto is designed as a fresh and lively, early drinking example of the grape. The essence of Dolcetto is herbaceousness, a characteristic found in abundance here.

Negro Lorenzo Barbera d’Alba Superiore ‘La Nanda’ 2016

Ah, Riserva Barbera, there should be more of this. Contrasting Nebbiolo and Dolcetto, Barbera is high acid and low tannin, which makes it a quick drink. In fresher, youthful approaches to the grape it can be downright chuggable. In reserve examples, we have wines of notable distinction. This wine comes from a single pot of old vine Barbera in Roero aged as a Riserva wine from Barolo would be, for several years in large oak and bottle before release. This wine is massive and opulent, as it were, a hedonist’s wine, and a wine to age if you’d like to see it’s tertiary side.

Negro Lorenzo Roero Riserva ‘S. Francesco’ 2014

Of all the Nebbiolo we’ve ever found in Piedmont, this is indisputably the greatest value. This wine drinks better than most Barolo or Barbaresco (again, come at me Barolo snobs!) This is a single vineyard bottling from the oldest Nebbiolo plot in the estate. Always aged as a Riserva, this wine spends 3 years in barrel before bottling, and several more years in glass before it’s released for consumption. While 2014 wasn’t the best vintage in Barolo and Barbaresco due to hail, to my knowledge Roero didn’t get any that year, meaning that the vintage scores for the whole region don’t apply wholly to Roero. I won’t say anymore about what this wine is like other than to say that every customer that has discovered this wine is now obsessed.

Vineyards in Piedmont on a foggy morning.