Brezza Santa Rosalia Nebbiolo d'Alba 2013
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The Brezza private estate, with vineyards in Barolo dating back to 1885, takes its name from Giacomo Brezza, who with his father Antonio bottled the first wine of the estate in 1910. The family has strong ties to the land and region. Winemaker Enzo Brezza has stayed true to the family style; he crafts traditional wines of noted finesse that display elevated characteristics of the varied soil types present in commune.
The wines hailing from the self-named Barolo commune are of moderate structure, more elegant and feature finer olfactory significance than its neighboring communes. The wines of Brezza embody this distinction, with nebbiolo holdings in the grand cru sites of Sarmassa and Canubbi. More noteworthy, however, are the barbera vines in Canubbi Muscatel and the dolcetto vines in San Lorenzo; locations of such value in the zone, that these "lesser" varieties are rarely encountered.
Responsible for some of the most elegant and age-worthy wines in the world, Nebbiolo, named for the ubiquitous autumnal fog (called nebbia in Italian), is the star variety of northern Italy’s Piedmont region. Grown throughout the area, as well as in the neighboring Valle d’Aosta and Valtellina, it reaches its highest potential in the Piedmontese villages of Barolo, Barbaresco and Roero. Outside of Italy, growers are still very much in the experimentation stage but some success has been achieved in parts of California. Somm Secret—If you’re new to Nebbiolo, start with a charming, wallet-friendly, early-drinking Langhe Nebbiolo or Nebbiolo d'Alba.
An historic village situated right in between the famous regions of Barolo and Barbaresco, Alba is also the name for the larger wine region surrounding the village.
In a sense, “Alba” is a catch-all phrase, and includes the declassified Nebbiolo wines made in Barolo and Barbaresco, as well as the Nebbiolo grown just outside of these regions’ borders. In fact, Nebbiolo d’Alba is a softer, less tannic and more fruit-forward wine ready to drink within just a couple years of bottling. It is a great place to start if you want to begin to understand the grape. Likewise, the even broader category of Langhe Nebbiolo offers approachable and value-driven options as well.
Barbera, planted alongside Nebbiolo in the surrounding hills, and referred to as Barbera d’Alba, takes on a more powerful and concentrated personality compared to its counterparts in Asti.
Dolcetto is ubiquitous here and, known as Dolcetto d'Alba, can be found casually served alongside antipasti on the tables of Alba’s cafes and wine bars.
Not surprisingly, given its location, Alba is recognized as one of Italy’s premiere culinary destinations and is the home of the fall truffle fair, which attracts visitors from worldwide every year.