Santamaria FRERÒT Langhe Nebbiolo DOC (2022) –– Piemonte

Only two wines come out of the Viberti farmhouse in La Morra: a Barolo, and this. Freròt means "little brother" in Piedmontese, this one is the Barolo little brother — same vines, same hands, released sooner and made for drinking now.

THE GRAPE
Nebbiolo from the family's vineyards in Santa Maria di La Morra — younger vines and the parcels not destined for Barolo. Freròt is the Piedmontese for "little brother", which tells you exactly what it is.

THE WINE
Made like the Barolo but let go sooner, in cask and in bottle. 2022 was a warm year and the wine is generous and open: red cherry, raspberry, rose, a touch of spice, with the tannin softened and the fruit out front. Serve it a little cool. This is Nebbiolo for a Tuesday, from a family that does not make a Tuesday wine badly.

FOOD PAIRING
Tajarin with sausage ragù, vitello tonnato, a charcuterie board, pizza, or a roast chicken. Nebbiolo's whole repertoire, without needing to plan the evening around it.

THE WINEMAKER
The Viberti family have grown Nebbiolo in the hamlet of Santa Maria, La Morra, since the late 1700s and bottled it since 1935. Walter Viberti runs the farm today as his father did: hand-picked grapes, big old Slavonian casks, and around 10,000 bottles a year, half Barolo and half Langhe Nebbiolo. He calls himself one of the last zebras among the lions of Barolo — no consultants, no barriques, no plans to grow.