The Nebbiolo Files: Pizzini Nebbiolo 2010

I’ve been looking at a small bracket of Australian Nebbiolo this week, pouring a little daily sip of three different wines to watch them evolve. Fun.

Happily, each of the wines have shown up to be not only varietal but charismatic too, all offering slightly different takes on what is a hard variety to get right.

Great to see.

This Pizzini is perhaps the most ‘Australian’ of the lot, with a little more red fruit than the other wines in the trio. It works too, giving more generosity and amiability to the gruff ferrous grip of what is a challenging grape.

It smells of meat cooked over an open fire and stewed plums, the palate quite sweet fruited with a late palate warmth and ‘medium’ tannins. Over the week it became more secondary, more fine and, ultimately, more satisfying.

It’s perhaps a little ‘fruity’ compared to archetypal Barolo, but given that this is priced more like more lowly Langhe Neb, I can’t help but admire it. Has the length to improve for at least another decade too, especially given how strong a 20 year old Pizzini Neb looked last year, even if its probably not going to be as complex as some wines.

Overall, this is impressive wine. I liked it (particularly as the week went on), and dip my lid to Pizzini for getting it right.

Details: 13.8%, Diam, $48
Source: Sample, tasted Feb ’15
Best drinking: 2015-2025+
Score: 17.7/20, 92/100
Would I buy it? I would. Easily betters most Langhe Neb and would be delicious with a meaty ragu Piedmonte style.
Buy online: Pizzini website