2013 Benevelli Langhe Nebbiolo has arrived in Oz….!

Denise and Massimo Benevelli

 

In my work, I am constantly surrounded by people working in the wine industry. Whether it be sales representatives, winemakers or journalists. So it makes sense that some of my closest friends are individuals who work in the wine industry. Sometimes, you will have an instant connection with a person and understand on all levels exactly what they are thinking and the direction they want to take. It doesn’t have to be about wine. It might be about politics, life or sport. You just understand each other.

For me, Honesty and simplicity are two traits I think are pretty hard to go past in life and most of my closest friends have this in spades. I am not a pretender: what you see is what you get. I am like that in life as well as in business. If you can’t be yourself, then what is the point of it all?

That is why I think Massimo and myself have become good friends.
Massimo is quiet and shy. When he talks, he talks for a reason. The same goes with the wines he makes. They are a reflection of Massimo and his Langhe Nebbiolo, Bricco Ravera Barbera and Monforte Barolo all share his stamp. They are not tricked up. They are not smothered in oak. They speak of Monforte, they speak of Massimo and importantly they speak of the vintage. They are not trying to be something they are not.

Massimo’s wines are becoming harder and harder to buy. With international demand for his wines growing every vintage (and whilst we still manage to get a great allocation for Australia) it means that demand far exceeds supply on all his wines. In the USA, he has been picked up by legendary wine importer Kermit Lynch which is great for Massimo and I have no doubt it will reach a stage where the wines of Piero Benevelli will become as scarce as hens teach.

The 2013 Langhe Nebbiolo from Massimo is a great illustration of what he is capable. The word that instantly springs to mind is unforced. It is unforced in that it is not trying to be something it is not. Nebbiolo stripped back in it’s purest form. In this form this grape variety has fantastic fragrance, well defined tannins and a depth of palate which will enable it to age for many years. The 2013 Langhe Nebbiolo is Nebbiolo stripped bare and presented in it’s purest form.

 

 

A whopping 97 points the the 2011 Benevelli Langhe Nebbiolo

Over the last few years I have written a lot about Massimo Benevelli and his wines. We import them with pride and the wines speak of Massimo and Monforte.

So today when we found out that his 2011 Langhe Nebbiolo was the top wine with 97 points in the latest Gourmet Traveller Wine Magazine Nebbiolo Tasting, we couldn’t have been any happier. Once news broke of this score, all the stocks we had were gone within a couple of hours.

Whilst this wine has sold out, the. 2012 is on the water and should be available in Oz in around a month.
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Piero Benevelli Langhe Nebbiolo 2011: the eagle has landed…

If there was one wine that bowled be over on a trip to the Langhe earlier this year, then hands down it was the Piero Benevelli Langhe Nebbiolo 2011. This wasn’t the most expensive wine I tasted on the trip: in fact it will retail for $30 in Australia. What blew me away is that this wine has serious complexity, structure and Nebbiolo fruit tannins that made me do a double take when I tried it.

It was amazing wine and as soon as the wine past my lips I twisted Massimo’s arm for a large allocation for the Australian market.

Massimo Benevelli knows how to make wine. He has been running the winery for many years and at 35 years old, he is an old head on young shoulders. He is not a person who wants the limelight. Rather he is crafts some amazing wines and let’s the wines do the talking. The 2011 Langhe Nebbiolo certainly does that and this wine highlights just how talented Massimo is.

The historical town of Monforte.

My notes on the 2011 Langhe Nebbiolo winery visit was brief but to the point:

Perfumed, intense, underlying power, intense red savoury fruits, benchmark tar and roses balanced by bright acidity.

This wine has just landed in Australia and it will be interesting to see this wine now in Australia and I can’t wait to see it in four or five years bottle age.

Traversa Il Ciabot Langhe Nebbiolo 2010: seriously good Nebbiolo….

 

I have written a few posts on just how much I love the wines of Traversa from Barbaresco. They are pure expressions of Nebbiolo and they make the wines like they have been made for generations past.

Barbaresco – Traversa vineyards – view from winery.

The just landed 2010 Langhe Nebbiolo has just been given a big tick of approval by Gary Walsh from The Wine Front.

It’s declassified Barbaresco, which means that the 2010 Barbarescos from this producer should be pretty bloody good..  Importer: Mondo Imports.

Leather, cherry, Amaretto, red fruit, wood smoke – deep. It’s medium bodied, spicy and chewy and fresh all at once–ample musculature on show–though not without finesse. Dense with strong tannin impact and a long finish. Unevolved as young wine – it needs time. Amazing value. Drink : 2015 – 2025+ 93 points Gary Walsh, The Wine Front

Piero Benevelli: one of the shining lights of Monforte…

After a fantastic morning at the winery of Paolo Saracco and then lunch at Antica Torre Trattoria in Barbaresco, I drove to the cellars of Piero Benevelli in Monforte and tried all the upcoming vintages for Langhe Nebbiolo, Barbera Superiore, Barolo and his Barolo Riserva.

Trying so many different wines showed me just how good a commune Monforte is and also how talented a winemaker Massimo Benevelli. Whilst he already has a fantastic reputation in Barolo and around the world already, I believe he will be considered one of the shining lights out of Monforte in the future.

His wines show a common theme of perfume, complexity and power. They are made with a gentle hand, but a hand that knows site, soil and style of Piero Benevelli.

Denise and Massimo Benevelli

At the winery of tried the following wines:

2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 Barolo plus 1993.

2009, 2010 Barbera Superior

2009, 2010 Barolo Riserva

2011 Langhe Nebbiolo

Common theme is these wines will age long term. All the different vintages of Barolo have very similar structure. The main differences between the wines are the variation in years. Vintage 2008 sits in between the structure of the 2006 and the ripeness of 2007. Today the 2007 Barolo looked amazing.

2011 Langhe Nebbiolo was the big surprise for me. Heaps of complexity, layers of plush dense fruit. Perfumed with plenty of capacity to age.

2010 Barbera Superior (due in 8 weeks) was up there with the 2007 in quality and complexity.

Piero Benevelli Monforte Barolo 1993

The 1993 was amazing. Still primary with balance, poise and structure. Fruit and tannins now perfectly integrated. This wine was made by Massimo’s father, Piero and it showed for me how well the Barolo’s of Benevelli will age.

My tasting note on the wine was as follows:

Fantastic colour; still a beautifully perfumed nose. The amazing is still fresh with amazing power, beautiful acidity and benchmark tar and roses.

Whilst Massimo is young and does not have the history of many of the superstars of Monforte, he has the site, the winemaking talent and the personality to achieve greatness in the area.

If you have not tried the wines of Piero Benevelli, it is well worth the experience, either in Italy or the rest of the world.