Margherita Otto Langhe Nebbiolo 2023

Margherita Otto Langhe Nebbiolo 2023

Margherita Otto
$36.00

Grape: Nebbiolo
Vintage: 2023
Type: Red

Alan Manley is making such superb, classically-styled wines since his arrival in Monforte d’Alba back in 2011. His 2023 Nebbiolo is pure and nicely ripe in personality, offering up scents of cherries, camphor, gamebird, a gorgeous base of soil, distant bonfire and a pungent topnote of roses. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, focused and transparent down to its soil element, with a lovely core of fruit, a bit of ripe tannin, tangy acids and a long, complex and soil-driven finish. This comes in at 14.5 percent octane in 2023 and does show just a whisper of backend heat on the finish, but it should not impede its ability to age long and gracefully. The wine has a good foundation of nebbiolo tannin, so a bit of cellaring will be mandatory.

Margherita Otto is a new winery in Monforte d’Alba, founded by American-turned-Piemontese, Alan Manley. Alan, who previously ran a restaurant in Colorado, developed a passion for Barolo after his first visit to the region in 1995. In 2011, he moved to the area, gained experience at historic Langhe wineries, and pursued his dream of making wine. He secured choice parcels in Monforte d’Alba (near Ginestra), Castiglione Falletto (in Pernanno), and a long-term lease in Serralunga d’Alba (near Vigna Rionda). After three trial vintages (2012-2014), his first commercial release was the 2015 Barolo. His own cellar, completed in 2017, features a mix of modern and traditional equipment, including large oak botti. Alan makes his Barolo using the ancient assemblaggio method, fermenting all parcels together with extended skin contact (45 days) and aging for at least three years in botti.