Vietti is quite a well-known name in Pietmonese viticulture. Almost 150 years have passed since its foundation. It was the end of 1800 when Carlo Vietti started the Vietti winery, right in the heart of the Langhe, on the highest point of the medieval village of Castiglione Falletto. In the very same place where it is located today. In 1917, returning after many years from living in the United States, Mario Vietti, Carlo’s son, took the reigns of the company, transforming it into a winery suitable for the production of high-quality wines. The Vietti family owned the winery for the next 100 years.

Some highlights from the storied past of this amazing winery:

• In 1961, one of the first Barolo Crus was produced by Vietti: Rocche di Castiglione.
• In 1967, the first vinification of Arneis took place.
• Starting from 1974, the wines were accompanied by Art Labels.
• In 2016, the Krause Family purchased Vietti.
• Kyle Krause decided to extend the winemaking properties with new, renowned
  crus in the denomination of Barolo and Barbaresco. In the Colli Tortonesi area, thanks to the purchase of vineyards, the production of Timorasso had its beginning.

I served this wine two weeks ago at a dinner celebrating 10 Italian regions and 10 Italian DOCs, an event organized by the Italian Trade Commission and Federdoc. It was a marvelous opportunity to talk about Italian wines while eating creative interesting small bits served by a chef from the Veneto at a restaurant called Alice.This wine was a real stand out. A Langhe D.O.C. Nebbiolo, it was 100% with grapes from selected Vietti vineyards in both the Barolo and a minor part in Barbaresco. The soils in these vineyards were marl, which is limestone in combination with clay.

It underwent alcoholic fermentation which lasted around 3/4 weeks at controlled temperature
(28°-32°) and malolactic fermentation which took place in steel tanks. Each
parcel is processed and aged separately until when they are selected to
be included for the blend of Perbacco or the ones that will keep aging to
become Barolo Castiglione (excluding the parcels from Barbaresco). The total aging was approximately 16/18 months. After malolactic done both
in barrique and big Slavonian casks, the wine keeps aging in oak for 2
years. Blending in steel tanks follows prior to bottling.

Tasting Notes:

The wine was a glorious and bright ruby red. On the nose red berries, floral, and spice notes pervaded with some herbal and forest floor notes as well. On the palate, it was a medium bodied wine with medium acidity, moderate alcohol, beautifully well-knit tannic structure with depth and layers of fruit, spice, cedar, and other tertiary notes such as graphite. On the finish the wine was lengthly and persistent. Complex and balanced, this wine was a real keeper and one I drank over the course of a few days after the dinner as well since a couple of bottles were offered.

Pairing – Local Ingredients:

The chef made an amazing Risotto al Castelmagno with Nocciole IHazelnuts). It paired perfectly with the elegant Nebbiolo. These local ingredients from Castelmagno to Nocciole were perfect with the traditional fair. The weight of both the dish and the wine meant that neither one overpowered the other.

Piedmont is famous for its hazelnuts – think Nutella. Nowhere is ore famous for them than the Langhe. The most important variety of Hazelnut is called the Tonda Gentile Trilobata and is the Niccola Piemonte IGP.

Castelmagno is also a PDO (DOP), prized Italian product from Piedmont. It is an ancient cheese with origins dating back to 1277, around the time Gorgonzola was created. The cheese is made from cow’s milk but can have a small amount of sheep and/or goat’s milk. It usually ages for two to five months. The third ingredient in the dish was rice for Risotto, another staple in the Piedmontese diet. Much more rice is eaten than pasta as you move North in Italy.

Piedmont:

Piedmont of course is in the Northwest of Italy. It borders Liguria to the south, Lombardy
and Emilia Romagna to the East and the Aosta Valley to the Northwest. It also borders Switzerland to the North and France to the West. Piedmont was the site of the Kingdom of Italy from 1861 to 1865. It is surrounded on three sides by the Alps. Piedmont is the second largest region in Italy.

Join the #ItalianFWT crew for a live chat on X (formerly known as Twitter) at 11am on Saturday, November 4th. Join us! Follow the hashtag #ItalianFWT and be sure to add that to anything you post so we can see it. Here’s the line-up of articles from the Italian Food Wine Travel writers…

• A Fall Menu for 5 Wines from Piemonte: Cortese di Gavi, Erbaluce, Barbera, Barolo, Brachetto d’ Asti by Wine Predator…Gwendolyn Alley
• Grosjean Fumin Valle d’Aosta DOC with Carbonade Valdostana & Polenta Concia by Crushed Grape Chronicles
• Nebbiolo delle Langhe DOC from Vietti 2020, A Symphony of Flavor by Avvinare
• Simple, but Seriously Delicious: Lasagne alla Valdostana + Grosjean Vallee d’Aoste Gamay 2022 by Culinary Cam
• Sweet Surprises Pairing Brachetto and BBQ by The Quirky Cork
• Valle d’Aosta Co-op La Kiuva Rouge de Vallèe paired with Mushroom Soup by Vino Travels
• Why has Barbera wine from Piedmont changed so drastically in recent years? by Life at Table