Cordero di Montezemolo farms the hills around La Morra, in the heart of Piedmont, and this is Arneis from the Langhe DOC. Arneis is Piedmont's white grape, the one that grows alongside Nebbiolo and rarely travels far from home. The 2023 vintage gives it a bright straw colour and a nose that opens on peach and acacia flowers.
- Arneis, Piedmont's own white grape.
- Langhe DOC, the hills around Alba.
- 2023, a warm year in Piedmont.
- Dry, medium body, high acidity.
- 13.5% ABV, 750ml.
How it is made
Arneis is a thin-skinned grape that yields little and ripens unevenly, which is why it almost disappeared from the Langhe in the twentieth century. It is picked and pressed gently to keep the aromatics intact, then fermented cool. Langhe DOC covers both red and white wines from the hills south of the Tanaro, and Arneis is the white it is best known for.
How it tastes
Green apple and white peach first, then citrus, with a mineral spine running through it. The acidity is high and keeps the fruit lifted. The finish turns to almond, faintly bitter, which is the signature of the grape.
Good to know
Arneis was nearly abandoned in the 1960s and 1970s, when growers pulled it out in favour of Nebbiolo. A handful of producers in the Roero and the Langhe kept it going, and the almond note at the end is the reason it is still called the little rascal.
