Cascina Penna-Currado 'Bricco Lago' Langhe Nebbiolo

For wine lovers, the name Vietti needs little introduction. For decades, it has stood among the most important estates in Piedmont, helping define the modern era of Barolo while preserving the traditions that made the region great in the first place. Much of that success was guided by Luca Currado and Elena Penna, who spent more than thirty years transforming Vietti into one of Italy's benchmark producers. After selling the winery, many assumed their life's work was complete. Instead, they chose to begin again. Cascina Penna-Currado is their new family estate, a deeply personal project built around vineyards they believe represent the future of the Langhe. Their first Nebbiolo release, Bricco Lago, is exactly the sort of wine you'd hope for from two of Piedmont's most respected voices: honest, site-driven, structured, and unmistakably Nebbiolo.

To understand this wine, it helps to understand Monforte d'Alba. Among the great communes of Barolo, Monforte has long been known for producing some of the most structured and age-worthy wines in the region. The soils here are largely derived from the Helvetian formation, ancient deposits of clay, limestone, and sandstone that tend to produce wines of depth, power, and longevity. While La Morra often delivers immediate charm and perfume, Monforte is famous for producing wines built for the cellar. They possess more backbone, firmer tannins, and a sense of architecture that rewards patience. Some of Piedmont's longest-lived and most compelling wines emerge from these hills. Even in a Langhe Nebbiolo, you can feel that underlying structure beneath the wine's floral aromatics and vibrant fruit.

The story begins in the tiny hamlet of San Sebastiano, high above Monforte d'Alba. Here, a single vineyard wraps around a small chapel before descending toward what is believed to be the only natural lake in the Langhe. The site is remarkable not only for its beauty but for its diversity. Vines ranging from 15 to 65 years old grow among forests, wild vegetation, and natural wildlife corridors. Sitting at elevations approaching 1,500 feet, the vineyard enjoys cooling air currents that help preserve freshness and aromatic precision. While Bricco Lago cannot legally be labeled as an official Barolo cru, it is every bit a true single-vineyard wine, sourced entirely from this distinctive site and bottled to express its singular character.

What I find most compelling is that Luca and Elena deliberately chose a site outside the most famous names of Barolo. Rather than chase prestige, they sought out a vineyard they believe represents the future of Piedmont. A place with elevation, biodiversity, freshness, and the ability to produce balanced Nebbiolo for generations to come. It is a philosophy rooted in farming, patience, and long-term thinking. The result is a wine that captures Monforte's natural structure while retaining an energy and transparency that make it irresistible today.

The winemaking follows the same thoughtful approach that made Luca Currado one of Piedmont's most respected voices. Whole berries undergo a cold maceration before fermenting with indigenous yeasts. Extraction is gentle and measured, preserving Nebbiolo's perfume and finesse rather than emphasizing sheer power. The wine is then matured in older, neutral barrels for roughly a year, allowing the tannins to settle while avoiding the imprint of new oak. The goal is not to make the wine taste of the cellar, but of the vineyard. The result is a Nebbiolo that speaks clearly of Monforte and of Bricco Lago itself.

In the glass, the 2024 is immediately expressive. Aromas of wild strawberry, raspberry, cherry, rose petal, violet, blood orange, and crushed stone rise effortlessly from the glass. Beneath the fruit lies the quiet structure that Monforte is famous for. The palate is energetic and vibrant, yet there is a firmness and mineral grip that suggest a long future ahead. It delivers all the haunting perfume Nebbiolo lovers crave, but with the architecture and seriousness that have made Monforte one of the most revered villages in Piedmont.

Serve just above cellar temperature in a large Burgundy stem and consider a brief 30-minute decant. This is a wine that comes alive at the table. Pair it with tajarin tossed in butter and Parmigiano, mushroom risotto, braised short ribs, veal Milanese, roasted chicken, or a slow-cooked ragù. Like so many of Piedmont's greatest wines, it becomes even more compelling alongside a great meal and good company.

Drink now through 2034+, though I suspect a few years in the cellar will reveal even more of what this remarkable site can become.

This is not simply another Langhe Nebbiolo. It is the first red wine from one of the most anticipated new estates in Piedmont, crafted by the family who helped define a generation of great Italian wine. More importantly, it is a true single-vineyard Nebbiolo from Monforte d'Alba—a place where great wines are built not for immediate gratification, but for decades of evolution in the cellar. That pedigree, that vineyard, and that vision are all captured in this bottle.