Almondo > Piemonte

Classic wines from the Roero region.
Viticultural and public administration are two careers which, on the surface, would appear to be difficult to reconcile. But Giovanni Almondo, a graduate of the University of Turin with a doctorate in agronomy, seems to have no problem juggling the competing claims on his time, cultivating his vineyards and running his cellars while acting as the mayor of the town of Montà d’Alba in the Roero. The winemaking facilities are an accurate measure of the man: orderly and spotless, precise rows of stainless steel fermenters and small oak barrels, everything carefully in place.

Almondo Website

Arneis - Sparse

100% Arneis.
Light pressed and fermented in temperature controlled stainless steel at 18-20 degrees Celsius.

Almondo’s Arneis plantings are located in the cool northern Roero climate, at a fairly high altitude, in an area about 30 kilometers from the Swiss border. His Arneis “Sparse” is a light straw yellow in color with greenish reflections at the edges. It has citrus peel and mineral aromas. The citrus fruit is softened by some peach/apricot on the palate. The overall impression is a light-to-medium bodied offering with tantalizing fruit, a good amount of acidity, and light mineral on an otherwise clean finish.

Arneis - Bricco dei Ciliege

100% Arneis.
70% fermented in stainless steel, 30% in barrel. Both portions are left in contact with the lees and aged in their respecitve containers for 6 months and then blended and bottled. The Hill of the Cherries (literal translation) is the name of the sandy soiled vineyard at about 400 meters with an easterly facing.

The Bricco delle Ciliegie is a hilltop vineyard planted in what used to be a cherry tree orchard on the property adjacent Almondo's house and cellar. The wine is bright, straw to medium yellow in color with heavier fruit character than his Arneis Sparse and the added structure of some barrel aging. Precise aromas of apricot, apple and toasted bread with undertones of vanilla. Medium-to-full bodied and attractively full flavored.

Barbera d'Alba-Valbianchera

Traditionally-styled ripe Barbera.

Bric Valdiana

100% Nebbiolo.
Destemmed and fermented in tank then transferred to small oak casks for 15-16 months aging. It is then bottled and aged for another 8-10 months before release. The Bric Valdiana is south facing slopes at about 250 meters on calcareous soils.

This is a declassified version of Nebbiolo from the Piedmont region. It contains most of the same characteristics including a light to medium red color, rose petals on the nose, ample red fruit, a solid tannic profile, and firm oak on the finish - without the usual Barolo or Barbaresco price tag.