Colombera e Garella - Melascone Rosso 2021 (750ml)
Colombera e Garella Description
Cristiano Garella, native wünderkind, is one of the master-keys of the area. He’s helping wineries here appreciate and reinvest in the vineyards and cantine. Colombera & Garella, as the name suggests, is his most intimate contribution among the many wineries he collaborates with. The Colombera part is Giacomo, Cristiano’s long-time friend, and Giacomo Colombera’s father, Carlo, who’s been growing grapes in the area since the early 1990s. Colombera & Garella's winery and vineyards in the Bramaterra and Lessona appellation.
Melascone was the local dialect name for Nebbiolo around Biella, but it was also short hand for referring to the everyday ‘vino rosso.’ So, even though this is Colombera & Garella’s base wine, it really has all the hallmarks of their great Bramaterra and Lessona bottlings, precise Nebbiolo aromatics, and that salty-minerality. They monitor the maceration closely each vintage to make sure the tannins aren’t too strong, and so the wine is ready to drink on release. The Croatina gives some extra fruit, and the Vespolina some extra spice. What a great wine to enjoy casually the greatness of Nebbiolo and Alto Piemonte terroir!
Vinous: 88 Points
The NV (LM 2021) Melascone is 65% Nebbiolo, 15% Vespolina, 10% Croatina and 10% assorted indigenous varieties from old vines spread across several appellations (Bramaterra and Lessona). Rich and hearty in the glass, the Melascone offers up generous dark plum fruit along with complicating notes of earthiness, sage, mint and tobacco. Drink this easygoing, forward Alto Piemonte red over the next handful of years.
