From £80 a dozen in bond
Find Correggia's wines
Among the 50-odd Piemontese reds which I tasted last night and described in tasting notes this morning, this Nebbiolo from a protege of local hero Elio Altare stood out as exceptionally good value. It had all the roasted autumnal scents (think particularly toothsome damp leaves) that are the trademark of Piemonte's most admired grape variety. And yet, because it does not carry an expensive appellation such as Barolo or Barbaresco, it is really quite affordable – even though Roero was elevated to DOCG status with the 2007 vintage. Prices will surely rise...
Matteo Correggia 2007 Roero forms part of Justerini & Brooks' current offering of Italian and Iberian wines and the Diageo fine-wine subsidiary in London is offering it at £80 a dozen in bond, which will eventually work out at not much more than £9 a bottle. I see that wine-searcher.com already lists many a stockist in the US, Finland and the UK for Matteo Correggia's scented white Roero Arneis, so it seems highly likely that these stockists will eventually offer the red Roero. There is little doubt that 2007 was an exceptional vintage here.
What I loved about this wine was its trademark headiness and excitement on the nose and then a great combination of approachability, structure for the future and lovely purity. Matteo Correggia suffered a tragic, fatal vineyard accident in 2001, and the Correggias apparently see 2007 as their best vintage since. Export manager Sara Palma told me she thought 2007 was a particularly good year for her Barbera, and Matteo Correggia, Bricco Marun 2007 Barbera d'Alba was also very good, but it's £175 a dozen in bond and for me the Roero has the great advantage of being deliciously drinkable already, though I'm sure it will still be delightful, and possibly even more complex, over the next four years.
The flowering in 2007 was apparently more than three weeks earlier than in 2006. August was very dry but rain in early September revived the vines just in time for a dry harvest with particularly healthy, ripe grapes that have yielded exceptional aromas. I loved this wine.
Below is a short film of the tasting which shows that, at last, traditional British wine buyers such as buy from J&B are now interested in fine Italian wine. There was a good selection from Tuscany too and a much-increased representation from Spain, which I did not, alas, have time to taste.