Pasquale Pelissero Langhe Nebbiolo Pasqualin

Pasquale Pelissero Langhe Nebbiolo Pasqualin is Nebbiolo from the Langhe hills around Neive, made by a family that has been bottling its own estate-grown wines since before it was common in Piedmont. The vines sit at around 400 metres on marly, calcareous soils, and the wine sees 12 months in French oak barriques after temperature-controlled fermentation. Think of it as Barolo's more approachable cousin — same noble grape, same storied region, but built to drink sooner rather than later. The estate is run by Ornella Pelissero and her son Simone, who took over after Ornella's father Pasquale passed away in 2007. Pasquale was among the first growers in Neive to bottle under his own label instead of selling fruit to cooperatives, and the family has maintained that pioneering spirit across just under 20 acres of sustainably farmed hillside vineyards. They do everything themselves, from pruning and harvest to vinification in the cellar perched at the top of the Bricco San Giuliano hill. The terroir here — elevation, calcareous marls, and the cooling influence of altitude — gives the Nebbiolo structure without the sometimes forbidding tannins of its Barolo neighbors. The wine shows ruby in the glass, with a nose of rose petals, violet, cherry, and raspberry layered over cocoa, pipe tobacco, black pepper, and a mineral thread. On the palate it is warm and full with good freshness, silky tannins, and a clean mineral finish that keeps you reaching for another pour. Pair it with roasted pork, mushroom risotto, aged cheeses, or any dish that benefits from a red with both fruit and earthy complexity. It is versatile enough for a weeknight pasta but substantive enough to hold up to a Sunday braise. Available for pickup at our Lincoln Park bottle shop at 1128 W Armitage Ave, local Chicago delivery, or nationwide shipping.