Diego Morra, Langhe Nebbiolo, "Il Sarto"

Nebbiolo is perhaps the greatest red grape on earth — ask enough serious wine professionals and you’ll hear the same confession. It’s the grape we return to. The one we crave. I crave drinking it daily. Not the polished, over-oaked, overworked versions sculpted for scores, but the transparent ones — the wines that smell like crushed rose petals and red cherries, that carry tar and spice and iron, that taste like hillside and limestone and fog lifting off autumn vineyards. The purest wine on earth when done right.

That’s exactly what drew me to Diego Morra. I first came to know his wines through his Barolo, and what struck me wasn’t brute force — it was precision. “Il Sarto,” meaning the tailor, is named for that philosophy. Rather than relying on a single vineyard, Morra carefully stitches together select parcels from prized Barolo-area sites — some right on the fringes of the DOCG boundary — cutting and shaping them into one seamless expression. It’s a craftsman’s approach: measured, deliberate, exacting.

The result is Nebbiolo tailored with intention — Barolo bloodline fruit rendered in a more immediate, aoler exposures, higher elevations, vineyards perched just beyond the ong before Diego began bottling under his own name. Verduno, one of the northernmost communes of Barolo, is known among sommeliers for its lifted aromatics and refined tannins — particularly from sites such as Monvigliero. It is not the most powerful commune; it is one of the most nuanced.

Diego represents the third generation of the family’s agricultural history. In the early 2000s, he transitioned the estate from grower to estate-bottled producer, investing in vineyard expansion and a purpose-built winery at Cascina Mosca. Over time, holdings were carefully added in Verduno, La Morra, and Roddi, always prioritizing site quality over volume. The winery itself reflects his approach: modern, technically precise, gravity-assisted where possible, designed to preserve clarity rather than impose style.

Farming is meticulous and sincere — no herbicides, no pesticides, deep respect for biodiversity and soil health. In the cellar, the same philosophy carries through. Diego favors laofficial Barolo DOCG boundary — are now consistently reaching full phenolic ripeness while preserving aromatic lift and structural freshness. Many of these edge sites are delivering wines of remarkable balance and precision.

That is precisely the zone “Il Sarto” draws from: Barolo-area fruit stitched together from Verduno, La Morra, and Roddi, including a steep, fully south-facing parcel above Roddi that contributes grip and depth.

The Morra family has been rooted in Verduno for generations, farming vineyards lrge, traditional botti over flashy new barrique. And that matters.

Real, honest Nebbiolo — the kind we all actually want to drink — doesn’t need to be seasoned with oak. I personally can’t stand it when Nebbiolo is dressed up in vanilla and toast. It doesn’t need makeup to make it more immediately charming. It needs time. Nebbiolo needs space. It needs oxygen in slow, measured doses. It needs time to stretch its frame and allow those naturally firm tannins to resolve on their own terms.

Large botti provide exactly that environment. Because they’re so large, there is far less surface area contact between wine and wood, meaning minimal oak flavor imprint from the start. And importantly, these casks are used over decades. When new, they are typically filled for the first several vintages with other local varieties — wines that can better absorb and soften the initial oak influence. By the time Nebbiolo is aged in them, the wood has already been seasoned and neutralized.

What remains is not oak character, but a breathable, neutral vessel. The cask allows slow, steady oxygen exchange without seasoning the wine. It supports structure rather than altering flavor. It refines tannins rather than sweetening fruit. And it preserves what matters most: perfume, tension, and site.

In the glass, the 2022 “Il Sarto” shows a light garnet core — classic of Barolo itself — with that faint brick-toned transparency at the rim that signals Nebbiolo’s honesty. The aromatics are immediately perfumed: rose petal, sour cherry, wild strawberry, blood orange peel, dried herbs, and subtle tar notes woven with a touch of iron and crushed stone.

On the palate, it is medium-bodied yet architectural, driven by vibrant acidity and fine, persistent tannins that frame the wine without heaviness. There is a savory mineral spine that carries through a long, composed finish.

Pair it with tajarin and ragù, porcini risotto, veal, lamb, or a simply prepared steak finished with olive oil and rosemary. Decant for 30–45 minutes and serve in a large Burgundy stem at 60–65°F.

This is Barolo architecture — rendered with precision, and accessible now.