De Forville Nebbiolo d'Alba San Rocco

Type: Red
Grape: Nebbiolo
Region: Nebbiolo d'Alba, Piedmont, Italy
Style: Traditional, organic farming, wild fermented in steel, aged in large Slavonian oak
Flavor: Sour cherry, dried rose, tar, tobacco, forest herbs

The bottle: From a hilltop parcel in San Rocco d'Elvio, sitting right between the Barbaresco and Barolo zones, given a longer fermentation and elevage than the estate's Langhe Nebbiolo. The house calls this their Barolo: firmer tannin, darker fruit, more brooding. Mid-weight with vibrant acidity, great with a braise or anything rich off the grill.

The producer: The De Forvilles came to Piedmont from Belgium in 1848 and settled in Barbaresco in 1860, among the early believers in Nebbiolo alongside Domizio Cavazza. Fifth-generation brothers Valter and Paolo Anfosso run it now, farming organically and holding to the classic playbook of long macerations and big neutral botti.