2015 Montalbera Laccento Ruche di Castagnole Monferrato Piemonte Italy DOCG 750 ml

Nebbiolo’s Decadent Cousin

Since 1993, author and deeply respected Italian critic Luca Maroni has taken it upon himself to usher in a prolific wave of critical writing that aims to be even more subjective than Italy’s own wine bible, Gambero Rosso. So when we were presented with this 2015 Montalbera Laccento Ruché di Castagnole Monferrato — one of Piedmont’s rare local varietal-red beauties — we knew to check his Annuario dei Vini Italiani guide to benchmark our own impressions. Maroni leads off a 286-word rave by calling it “one of the best,” red wines he’s ever tasted in his life, capping off a 99-point rating of an “archetypical wine” that reaches “consistency, balance and integrity.” While Maroni’s reviews are a little different, he looks purely for deliciousness and pleasure. Our own tasting revealed a truly stunning under-$30 Italian red that was culled from overripe, estate-grown fruit. Powerful punches of vibrant red fruit and floral essences flourish on the nose and sustain through an explosive finish. It’s hedonism in a glass, and our own 93-point rating for this very special varietal-Ruché red is in our opinion, a ridiculous value at $30 per bottle.

We love Piedmont for many reasons, but we have a special fondness for its esoteric varieties like Ruché (pronounced like “roo-KAY”). The grape can be found growing in a sliver of Piedmont near Asti called the Castagnole Monferrato, and its pronounced aromas and tannins are akin to Nebbiolo, Barolo’s viticultural backbone. We can think of no better introduction to this obscure grape’s pleasures than this 2015 Montalbera Laccento, from a vintage Jancis Robinson MW hailed as “exceptional.”

If this dynamic grape is relatively unheralded, it is nonetheless the proud legacy of the Morando family. The six-generation winemaking family has been expanding Montalbera’s holdings in the appellation since the mid-1980s, and today their 202 acres of Ruché vines are responsible for 60 percent of its production.  

Montalbera’s Franco Morando guides the efforts that culminate in this Montalbera Laccento. Patience is key, as they wait until the grapes growing on the southern-exposure Bricco Montalbera more than 900 feet above sea level are over-ripe. But that patience only extends so far: Asked about cellaring, Franco expressed exasperation with people who would wait a decade to uncork one of his bottles. “I vini bisogna berli!” he said, “You have to drink the wines!” He added, “Wine is life and life has a beginning and an end as in everything.” Indeed. Wait no longer to avail yourself of this remarkable, and remarkably under-the-radar, grape and wine.

We’ve printed Luca’s score as well, and encourage a read even though the translation is a bit clunky. At the end of the day, this is a delicious red to drink now while your Barolos and Brunellos continue their slumber.