Giacomo Colombera & Cristiano Garella – is a partnership that you are going to hear a lot about, not just when it comes to the revival of the wines from alto Piemonte, but also as one of Italy’s most exciting new wineries. Cristiano was so obsessed by wine in his teens that he begged his brother to drive him south to the Langhe where he knocked on the doors of the best estates, spending all his pocket money to taste and learn. Walter Speller nominates Cristiano as “one of Italy’s youngest and most talented oenologists”. After a few years in the Langhe, Cristiano returned home and teamed up with friend Giacomo, who was working his family vineyards, and they set out to make Nebbiolo wines with an emphasis on highlighting the “the different expressions of place, municipality by municipality”. The resulting wines are fine and elegant, the softer tannins make them approachable and the acidity makes them extremely long lived. Their young wine, Coste della Sesia, is 65% Nebbiolo with the balance Vespolina and Croatina. Vespolina is high in acid and brings white pepper and raspberry fruit whilst Croatina is low in acid and full of plum, chocolate and coffee fruit.
