The 2011 Arneis is gorgeous in this vintage. Yellow-fleshed fruit, white flowers and mint are all woven together in this textured, totally inviting wine. In 2011, the estate gave 15% of the fruit a short maceration on the skins, resulting in a wine of unusual complexity. The 2011 has one foot firmly planted in the Roero but is also quite ambitious and forward-looking in style. This is not your father’s Arneis, but it is totally striking. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2014.
It was great to go back to Correggia, as a few years had passed since my last visit. Ornella Correggia’s children, whom I remembered as young, are of course now grown up. Her son Giovanni looks set to continue the work of his late father. Longtime winemaker Luca Rostango has also pretty much grown up at the winery. In recent years, the estate has introduced large casks for a portion of their Barbera and Nebbiolo, marking a slight change in style that is now quite the norm throughout Piemonte. I also tasted a handful of older wines. While there is little question that the Correggia wines can age for years, whether they improve materially in bottle or not is another question, and a much more complex one to address. One of the myths of French oak is that it would “integrate” over time. The reality is that oak has to be perfectly integrated at the outset for wines to age well and gracefully.
Various American importers, including: Skurnik Wines, Syosset, NY; (516) 677-9300; Robert Houde Wines, Elk Grove Village, IL; tel. (847) 430-3887; Giuliana Imports, Boulder, CO; tel. (303) 449-5477; Cavatappi Distribution, Seattle, WA; tel. (206) 282-5226
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