Giacometto Bruno Nebbiolo 2012

My favorite wine twice in blind tastings. Maybe an advantage was that it was older than its contemporaries. It is like soup on the fourth day—everything has melded together and you taste the individual components less. However, the individual components are beautiful, and all still there. The sweet aromas of rose and raspberry are balanced by savory tones of bay leaf and eucalyptus. The wine's age adds yet another dimension with porcini mushrooms and coffee. With the tannins softened, the wine just seems to float effortlessly over the tongue. The most classic structure, with tons of lift.

The Nebbiolo vineyard is located in Erbaluce di Caluso DOCG, but cannot be labeled as such. Instead, it takes the designation reserved for other varietals, Canavese DOC. Nebbiolo has centuries of history in the Canavese. Bruno Giacometto releases the wines when he thinks they are starting to drink best, so 2012 is the current vintage for his Nebbiolo. A fantastic dinner wine, it's mellow enough for salmon but structured enough for red meat. Restaurants can share the wonders of aged Nebbiolo for a great price.