Ca’ del Baios Langhe Nebbiolo is made from a selection of Nebbiolo grapes from some of the winery’s plots planted in 2007 and 2008. Several of them are located on calcareous subsoil, something that emphasizes the finesse and aroma of the wines. While the house’s various Barbaresco wines are partly fermented in 20-30hl. wooden barrels and in barriques, Langhe Nebbiolo is fermented in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks and later matured for 8 months in tank..
In the aroma, Langhe Nebbiolo has the grape’s classic fruity notes of ripe cherries and plums. The taste is immediate and crisp, incredibly clean in style, with Piedmont’s typical dryness and fine spices. A very likeable and charming wine, which will suit not too violent meat or vegetable dishes.
Ca’ del Baio has been owned and run by the Grasso family for 4 generations and since 1880. The family today has a distinguished portfolio of fields near the village of Treiso (7 km. from Alba), as well as in Barbaresco itself. They thus have plots in some of the best fields in the area, including in “Asili”, “Valgrande”, “Marcarini” and “Pora”. Ca’ del Baio has (naturally) primarily planted the fields with Nebbiolo, but they also grow Barbera, Dolcetto, Moscato, Chardonnay and… Riesling!
It is still the 3rd generation, in the form of Giulio Grasso, who is responsible for the operation – well helped by his wife Luciana. The two oenologist-educated daughters, Paola and Valentina, as the 4th generation are also part of the business and are continuously handed over an increasingly large part of the responsibility.
Ca’ del Baio has undergone fantastic positive development in recent years and has been able to combine tradition and innovation in the best possible way. Stainless steel tanks, large classic casks of 20-30 hl. (from top producer Gamba) and smaller casks of 500 and 225 l are used in fine harmony. During the fermentation, only the grapes’ natural yeast is used and nothing else is added to the wine than a very limited amount of SO2 (sulphur dioxide), which helps to ensure that the wines develop well during maturation in the bottle.
The wines from Ca’ del Baio have now won a place among the elite in both Italian and international wine guides, and it was thus no coincidence that in 2016 Giulio Grasso was awarded the very prestigious award “Viticoltore dell’anno” (“Winemaker of the Year” ) by the highly respected Italian wine guide “Gambero Rosso”.
Langhe DOC/DOP covers the whole of the Cuneo province in north-west Italy and thus also spans a wide spectrum of wines – both red and white. The name Langhe is used i.a. for wines from e.g. the Alba, Roero, Dogliani districts, but also from the Barolo and Barbaresco districts, if they are not produced from 100% Nebbiolo, as required for these particular wines. If DOC/DOP Langhe is followed by a grape variety on the label, the grape variety must constitute min. 85% of the wine.
Langhe Nebbiolo DOC was introduced in 1993 and includes the slopes around Alba with areas such as Barolo and Barbaresco. The law requires a minimum of 85% Nebbiolo, which is thus often supplemented with, for example, Barbera or other grapes.
