Monchiero Carbone farms in the Roero, the hills on the left bank of the Tanaro, north of Alba. This is Arneis from there, the white grape the zone kept alive when most of Piedmont was planting red, and it carries the appellation's own name: Roero DOCG covers both the reds from Nebbiolo and the whites from Arneis, one denomination, two wines.
- Arneis, Piedmont's own white grape.
- Roero DOCG, hills north of Alba.
- 2022, a warm, generous vintage in Piedmont.
- Light body, high acidity, dry.
- 13.5% alcohol, 750ml.
How it is made
Arneis is a thin-skinned, low-yielding grape that growers once called the little rascal, because it was difficult to farm and dropped fruit without warning. It nearly disappeared from the Langhe in the 1970s, kept going by a handful of producers who still had vines. Roero DOCG now requires it to be the only white grape in the wine.
How it tastes
White peach and citrus up front, then white flowers and a clear almond note on the back, which is the signature of the grape. The acidity is high and the body light, so it stays taut rather than round. A mineral, slightly saline finish runs underneath the fruit.
Good to know
Roero's soils are sandy and marine, left by a sea that covered the area millions of years ago, and they drain fast. That is why the zone's whites keep their acidity even in warm years. Arneis is also one of the few Piedmontese whites traditionally bottled on its own rather than blended away.
