Roero Arneis “Luèt”

Wines

Arneis has grown on the Roero’s sandy hillsides since the 1400s, though it took until the 1980s for the rest of the wine world to notice. Val del Prete’s Luèt (meaning “small wolf” in Piemontese dialect) comes from organically-harvested vines at 250 meters, on clay-and-sand soil that gives the wine real backbone rather than just perfume. Hand-harvested and partly skin-macerated before pressing, it opens with orange blossom and white peach, a thread of sage and aromatic herb, and finishes bright and mineral, with a snap of lemon zest.

Appellation: Roero Arneis DOCG

Type: White, dry

Varietal: 100% Arneis

Wine Details:

Tasting Notes:

Color: Bright straw yellow

Bouquet: Floral aromatics of black locust flower and orange blossom with aromatic herb and sage.

Palate: White peach and white currant on the palate, soft acidity, a firm mineral backbone, and a zippy lemon-zest finish.

Alcohol: 13%

Food Pairing: Seafood and vegetable appetizers, risottos, fish and white meats.

Vinyard Notes:

Production Zone: Priocca, Cuneo.

Vineyard: The Luèt vineyard extends for 3.7 acres. The vineyard is bio-dynamically fertilized.

Soil: Clayey with sandy veins, alkaline pH

Elevation: 250 meters (820 feet) a.s.l.

Exposure: East and west.

Vine age: 20+ years old.

Density: 5,000 vines per hectare.

Winemaking Notes:

Harvest: Mid-September, by hand.

Vinification: 30% maceration in contact with the skins for 2.5 days, 70% soft pressing, fermentation in steel.

Aging: Two months on the lees in stainless steel. Minimum three months in the bottle prior to release.