Have you ever felt like you've explored Burgundy's vineyards and cellars from top to bottom, but are still searching for that next big wine adventure? If so, it's time for you to start exploring the Alto Piemonte region, located north of Barolo in the foothills of the Alps separating Italy and Switzerland. This area offers a surprising and distinctive alternative to the beloved Burgundian wines.

Alto Piemonte is renowned for its Nebbiolo-based wines, which possess a unique terroir of volcanic gravel and glacial soils on steep, high-elevation slopes. Unlike the more robust and tannic expressions from Barolo and Barbaresco, Alto Piemonte's Nebbiolo wines are often lighter, more aromatic, and possess a vibrant acidity reminiscent of fine Burgundian Pinot Noir. The region's diverse soils and cooler climate contribute to the distinctive finesse and elegance of its wines, which are known for their aromatic intensity and complexity.

Today, we'll highlight two exceptional producers from Alto Piedmont that will bring you so much joy and fascination while drinking their wines.

Promotion period: until Jul 31, 2024

Nervi Conterno

Nervi is the oldest winery in the Gattinara appellation, founded in 1906. In 2018, the estate was purchased by Roberto Conterno, the owner and winemaker of the famous Giacomo Conterno. Prior to owning Nervi, Roberto had been consulting on their winemaking, so he fully understands the terroir and the wines.

The winemaking at Nervi Conterno is ultra-traditional, with long macerations that bring out the best of Nebbiolo. The result is wines that are incredibly fine and complex.

Cantina Produttori Nebbiolo Di Carema

Cantina Produttori Nebbiolo Di Carema is a cooperative winery founded in 1960 in the remote, mountainous Carema D.O.C. region of Piedmont. The cooperative has grown from less than 12 to over 80 producers dedicated to showcasing the unique expression of Nebbiolo in this tiny appellation.

The cold, windy climate results in slow-ripening grapes and light garnet-colored wines differing from renowned Barolo and Barbaresco due to the region's distinctive terroir, including the rare Picotener Nebbiolo clone adapted to the high-rainfall, high-pH soils of the dramatic, terraced Alpine vineyards.

This tiny D.O.C. appellation is often compared to Musigny in the Italian mountains by enthusiasts.

1/ Nervi Conterno Gattinara Vigna Molsino 2016 - Bt | AG96+
HK$600 ▷ HK$510

Tasted next to the Valferana, the 2016 Gattinara Vigna Molsino is much more nervous in feel. Iron, dried herbs, sweet dried cherry, mint, crushed rocks, white pepper and earthy notes give the Molsino a good deal of aromatic complexity to match its intense, saline-infused minerality. Today, though, the tannins and acids are almost overpowering. Readers will find an old-school, classically austere Gattinara that needs 10-15 years to be at its best. The 2016 is an absolute jewel of a wine, but it should be purchased only by readers with either very good genes are a ton of optimism regarding their own longevity.

-96+, Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com, September 2020

2/ Nervi Conterno Gattinara Vigna Valferana 2016 - Bt | AG96
HK$600 ▷ HK$510

The 2016 Gattinara Vigna Valferana is every bit as impressive from bottle as it was from cask. Rich and resonant, the 2016 is so supremely beautiful as it opens up in the glass. It is a wine of real breadth and textural expansiveness. Rose petal, mint, sweet dried cherry, tar, anise and orange peel are some of the nuances that emerge, but the Valferana is a wine to admire for its total sense of balance. In a word: Lights out. Make that two words.

-96, Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com, September 2020

3/ Nervi Conterno Gattinara DOCG 2018 - Bt | AG95
HK$660 ▷ HK$550

The 2018 Gattinara is a stunning wine in the making. Extraordinary in its complexity and nuance, the 2018 dazzles with a kaleidoscope of aromas, flavors and textures. Kirsch, hard candy, flowers and lively acids captivate the senses. The 2018 is elegant, weightless and full of character. It is, quite frankly, everything Gattinara can and should be. This is a great place to start for readers who want to know why the 2018 vintage is so magical at NerviConterno. If it weren't for the single-vineyard wines, I would have said the 2018 is one of the very best wines that have ever been made here!

-95, Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com, March 2022

4/ Nervi Conterno Gattinara DOCG 2015 - Bt | RP92
HK$650 ▷ HK$600

The weather in Gattinara is often unexpected. For example, in 2017 it rained more in this area than it did in Barolo. This vintage was more tempered, and this 2015 Gattinara comes across as pretty, elegant and soft, with light notes of berries and a pretty ashy signature. This particular expression of Nebbiolo would be a good choice for lamb.

-92, Monica Larner, The Wine Advocate, June 2019

5/ Cantina dei Produttori Nebbiolo di Carema Etichetta Bianca 'Carema Riserva' 2015 - Bt | AG95
HK$350 ▷ HK$295

The 2015 Carema Riserva is dark, powerful (for Carema) and also wonderfully appealing. Dried cherry, tobacco, smoke, licorice and dried herbs infuse the 2015 with tons of aromatic and flavor nuance. The 2015 also has quite a bit of mid-palate density and the persistence to drink well with just about anything. I find it incredibly appealing, and, frankly, a total knockout, breathtaking wine.

-95, Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com, April 2020

6/ Cantina dei Produttori Nebbiolo di Carema Etichetta Bianca 'Carema Riserva' 2016 - Bt | AG95
HK$330 ▷ HK$280

The 2016 Carema Riserva is another knock-out effort from the Produttori di Carema, the local cooperative that has really been on fire these last few vintages. Open-knit and inviting, but with all the complexity that is so typical of the appellation, the 2016 is superb. Crushed flowers, mint, sweet tobacco, cedar and licorice are all woven together in a super-expressive Carema that offers tons of complexity in a relatively accessible style for a young wine from the appellation. The Riserva is a selection of the best casks in the cellar, with the wine aged for an added year in cask, so three years’ in neutral oak in total. That extra year in oak vis-à-vis the Classico does take with it some of the fruit while emphasizing more savory and mineral qualities. Power and finesse come together so well in this textbook Carema.

-95, Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com, September 2020

Promotion period: until Jul 31, 2024

In stock now, and offered subject to final confirmation and remaining unsold. E. & O. E.

*HK Local delivery is free for purchases at or over HK$1,500 on wines and Jancis Robinson Wine Glasses. Otherwise there is a HK$100 charge for orders below HK$1,500. A surcharge will be added to orders delivering to Discovery Bay, Ma Wan and Airport.