Manzone Langhe Nebbiolo Il Crutin 2019

Manzone! One of our favorite producers anywhere, and we’ll be visiting them soon to taste through some new releases. These are some of the OGs of Montforte d’Alba, and they’ve thoughtfully acquired some amazing vineyard parcels over the years. This is 100% nebbiolo, from the lower parcel of the family’s famous Gramolere cru, in the heart of Montforte d’Alba. The only thing that stops this from being labeled as Barolo is the shorter aging time – making this a fresh, bright, and delicious “baby Barolo” at an unreal price!

Don’t overthink this one…if you have had any of our Manzone Barolos – their crus, their riservas…you know this is a family that makes some seriously spectacular wines from the Nebbiolo grape. This is wildly delicious and complex – all without requiring cellaring, decanting, or that most precious of all things…time! 93 POINTS… just epic! A beautiful bouquet of alpine strawberries, lavender, and Luxardo cherries just leaps from the glass, turning to savory truffles, rose hips, red cherries, and more strawberries on the palate. The finish is focused and clean, with bright acidity priming you for another sip…and another…and… it’s gone! This will absolutely destroy many a lesser house’s Barolo (and at a fraction of the cost!).

The fruit is all hand harvested from a lower parcel of their Gramolere holdings, where soils of calcareous clay marl slopes down to mix with finer sandy soils. Beneath the topsoil, there is a foundation of limestone, and “Il Crutin” refers to the historical stone cellar that was hand carved into the bedrock and used for wine and food storage nearby. The wine ferments in stainless steel tanks and then ages in neutral barrels for six months, followed by an additional six months in stainless steel prior to bottling. This is expressive, unadulterated Nebbiolo, with freshness and vivacity that is just flat-out delicious! This will fly… employee orders were coming in like an Oprah talk show… you get a case! You get a case! You…get the idea. While it lasts!

PAIRING IDEAS: This is my go-to for my all-time favorite pizza – Diavola’s “Sonja”. This is my favorite wine country restaurant, where Chef/Owner Dino named this wood-fired pie after his wife. Prosciutto, arugula, light sauce, and a bit of mascarpone… so good.

MUSIC SUGGESTIONS: This is one of those songs that you never seek out, can never remember the artist, or the song title, and yet…whenever it comes on, you stop what you’re doing, get your jam on and sing along. Check out ‘Til Tuesday and “Voices Carry”!