Langhe Nebbiolo, Lalu

Lalù is a young Langhe project founded in 2019 by Lara Rocchetti and Luisa Sala, two winemakers who arrived without inherited vineyards but with a clear point of view. After meeting at the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Pollenzo, they built experience through harvests in both Piemonte and Burgundy, working with producers such as Comtes Lafon, Cécile Tremblay and Trediberri before establishing their own winery between La Morra and Serralunga d’Alba. Their work centres on a small number of vineyard sites, including their own Roncaglie parcel planted in 2015, and reflects a measured, detail focused approach that sidesteps the usual modernist versus traditionalist framing. Instead, the emphasis is on site, balance and control in both vineyard and cellar, with each parcel handled separately and vinified with the aim of preserving its individual character.

This Langhe Nebbiolo is built primarily around fruit from the Roncaglie vineyard in La Morra, where laminated Sant’Agata Fossil Marl and calcareous clay soils at around 400 metres altitude bring lift, perfume and finely grained structure. The east facing exposure and constant airflow slow the ripening curve, preserving acidity and aromatic precision, while complementary fruit from Monforte d’Alba, grown on sandier Sant’Agata marl, adds depth and a firmer structural edge. Vinification is handled with a high level of intent, combining whole cluster and destemmed fruit, including a small proportion of berries retained with pedicels to capture the benefits of stem inclusion without overt greenness. Fermentations are carried out with indigenous yeasts, often initiated through pied de cuve, and extraction is deliberately gentle to maintain clarity. Each parcel is vinified separately in concrete before blending and ageing in Austrian oak for around eight months. The wine shows sour cherry, redcurrant and blood orange, with rose petal, dried herbs and a subtle tarry nuance. The palate is linear and finely textured, with bright acidity and polished tannins leading to a dry, savoury finish that reflects Nebbiolo in a more immediate, expressive form.

Origin Italy, Piedmont, Langhe

Grapes Nebbiolo

Vintage 2023/2024

Alcohol 13.0%

Style Fresh, structured, aromatic

Bottle size 75cl

Winemaking Combination of whole cluster and destemmed fruit with a small proportion of berries retained with pedicels, fermentation in concrete with indigenous yeasts often via pied de cuve, parcels vinified separately then blended and aged in Austrian oak barrels for around eight months

Notes Low intervention, Sustainable Viticulture