When Luca Currado-Vietti and Elena Penna sold their beloved Vietti, it sent shockwaves through the wine world. What would happen to Vietti, everyone wondered, now that they were gone? We shouldn’t have worried. Vietti is just fine. But, more importantly for me, as they’ve been good friends of ours for over 30 years, I wondered what would become of the Penna-Currados themselves!? There was no way, I figured, Luca was going to content himself for long with his small consulting business in Tuscany, nor would Elena be long happy with only her small artisan Gin and Vermouth operation to occupy her. And with their two bright and accomplished kids now interested in joining the family wine business, I knew it was only a matter of time before they returned to their Langhe roots. And it was in surprisingly short order- once Luca’s post-sale commitment to Vietti was completed- that the foundations for their next adventure were laid. It started with the purchase of the small 16th century farmhouse that sits perched atop the Lazzarito vineyard in Serralunga d’Alba, a spot that has been a part of the Currado-Vietti pantheon for decades, as well as several parcels of fine, old vine Dolcetto, Barbera and Nebbiolo in the San Sebastiano zone, just southwest of Monforte d’Alba and Nebbiolo that will soon become Barolo in Perno. From there it was Luca’s experience farming and winemaking, Elena’s extensive skills on the commercial side and all the kids could offer in terms of passion and excitement that combined to create the family’s new labor of love- Cascina Penna-Currado, the debut wines of which have just reached California. Boy, are we excited about these! And for first vintages, the wines are absolutely sensational! Let’s start with the Dolcetto, a grape for which Elena has long championed as the wine most likely to be the gateway for new drinkers of the wines of the Langhe. They’ve aimed to make it as appealing and fun to drink as possible. Luca fermented the fruit as whole clusters and aged it only in stainless steel to preserve its aromatics and fresh snap. We loved its vivid color and the amazing pop of its purple fruit and crunchy acidity. Finishing with the requisite bitterness so much a part of any good Dolcetto, it’s simply lovely. More than a simple red for antipasti (although they’d be nothing wrong with that either!), this wine has a bit of native gravitas and can stand up to meat-sauced pasta dishes, grilled poultry or a cupcake of La Tur cheese. No one has been a bigger proponent of the Barbera grape than Luca Currado. He made four separate cuvees during his Vietti days, including one from vines his father planted in the middle of Scarrone, one of Castiglione Falletto’s best Barolo vineyards! He’s as excited about his Barbera Carra as anything he’s ever made. Coming from a vineyard in San Sebastiano in Monforte with parcels planted in 1965 and 2000, he partially whole-cluster fermented the wine and aged it in large casks. Rich, concentrated and packed with dusky, plummy fruit, it strikes the perfect balance between hedonism and restraint. Its wonderful natural acidity will make it a perfect partner with richer pasta and meat dishes, wedges of aged Castelmagno or Parmigiano cheese or a giant, perfectly grilled pork chop! I bet it’s going to cellar well, too. This is their most expensive wine for a reason. It’s worth it! The Langhe Nebbiolo comes from a parcel of vines planted in 1969 and 1995 that sweep down from the San Sebastiano church. Luca chose to ferment this fruit- loaded with Monforte’s natural iron-y intensity, as whole berries rather than whole clusters in order to preserve their finesse and aged them in smaller barrels for a year. This is a ‘baby Barolo’ style with Monforte’s ruddy color, spicy, ferrous-y nose and substantial young tannin. The Currado difference is, of course, his sensitive handing of the wine’s tactility and elegance. It has gravitas, for sure, but it’s already a lovely, polished wine ready to enjoy with your next roast, Bolognese sauce, lamb leg or long simmered stew. On the whole, this is as an impressive a debut as I can ever remember but, duh, this is the Penna-Currados we’re talking about!

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