2017 Davide Carlone Croatina Colline Novaresi Piedmonte 750 ml

Every so often a wine comes along that reminds us of those original thrills—the bottles that opened our eyes to new possibilities and drove us to discover worlds within worlds. With that ecstatic sense of curiosity, we bring you a one-of-a-kind jewel from Davide Carlone, Alto Piemonte’s genius native son and the man responsible for our latest obsession.

Made from the rare Piemontese grape Croatina, this supremely drinkable wine is one part throwback to an older era, another part down payment on the future of a region on the rise. It’s got the rustic grip of an offbeat amaro and the brightness of a freshly plucked strawberry, with a homegrown charm that won’t quit. But through modern techniques, like stainless steel fermentation and green harvesting in the vineyard, Carlone has managed to elevate that old-school character with flourishes of a more approachable, contemporary style.

Fans of Barbaresco, Etna Rosso, and the red Burgundies of Beaune will delight in this DOC wine’s layers of fresh acidity, nuanced red fruit, and supple structure. The 2017 vintage was especially warm in and around the village of Boca, with perfect conditions to ripen Croatina’s tannins to their full potential for a deliciously sophisticated but unfussy wine. 

Vinous’ Antonio Galloni celebrated it as “a fabulous wine for the dinner table” and shelled out 92 points. That's no surprise when you understand Carlone’s methodical, handcrafted approach. From the locally harvested wooden poles staking up the vineyard, to the hand-harvest and basket pressing, everything here is done manually and with the greatest of care.

Alto Piemonte was once the seat of Northern Italy’s wine production, home to the world’s most famous Nebbiolos and renowned for its cultivation of indigenous wines grown on volcanic soils. After World War II, the region fell into a steep decline that lasted into the 1990s, when only several dozen acres were still planted to vine. Over the past 20 to 30 years, the region has seen a remarkable turnaround, one of the most spectacular comeback stories in modern wine.

The absence of an international spotlight for so many decades has allowed the development of a delightfully idiosyncratic style, relatively free from global market pressures but still in touch with today’s palates.

Historically, Croatina was the variety of choice in the region, the locals’ go-to favorite. This stellar example shows us precisely why. Less demanding than Nebbiolo, and more youthful, it still exhibits that peculiar Piemonte balance of herbs, fruit, and spice that drives us wild.

Carlone started with two and a half acres he inherited from his father, whose family farmed grapes in the region going back hundreds of years. Davide himself speaks no English and has never set foot on an airplane. Still, he has a kind of world-weariness that’s only achieved through deeply specialized knowledge. 

Today, he farms 17 acres, including Croatina vines that date back more than 100 years, and he sells out his entire production before the wine ever gets to bottle. He has said that, if and when Boca’s star rises completely, he will expand to revive the vineyards at the top of the hill, on the other side of the road, where a stand of deciduous trees has grown to full maturity in the time since it was last cultivated. 

From where we stand, it looks like he’ll be clearing those trees any day now.

We’re bringing you this Croatina because we want to turn you on to something remarkable. We don’t know the future, but Alto Piemonte has all the hallmarks of a soon-to-be “it” place. We want you to get a taste of its most authentic wines—wines like this Croatina—before they blow up and change forever.