$49.99 with shipping included on 6 bottles or more

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 astride 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 DOCG 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 we happily sold in California last fall. And, finally, the long-awaited second vintage is here! The Langhe Nebbiolo comes from a parcel of vines planted in 1969 and 1995 that sweep down from the San Sebastiano church, just down the other side of the hill from the backend of the Monforte d’Alba zone so it can’t be labeled Barolo, even though historically the area was, indeed, part of the appellation and shares the same very old, very iron-y soils. If it were, I’m afraid we’d be paying twice as much. 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 of various sizes for a year. This is a ‘baby Barolo’ style with Monforte’s ruddy color, spicy, ferrous-y nose, dried herb 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 with Nebbiolo’s fennel seed, camphor and dried earth notes on vivid display. But there’s fruit too. A solid core of it. And I love that. Ready to enjoy with your next roast, Bolognese sauce, lamb leg or long simmered stew, I found it better to decant it about an hour before serving. On the whole, this is about as exciting a new project as I can ever remember in the region but, duh, this is the Penna-Currados we’re talking about! I have 60 bottles with which to tempt you.