Roero Arneis Alberto Oggero 2022

Alberto Oggero's Roero Arneis is a fresh look at Roero, it is a challenge taken head-on and lived daily with this white grape and the land that most represents it, it is a declaration of love for this territory. It is no coincidence that Alberto likes to call it Roero White, preferring that it is the clear and typical aromas of the varietal that gush out from the glass, rather than a standardized bouquet that is the same every year. The choice to make a different Arneis, one that enters the market later and winks at craftsmanship, is a brave one: it often divides opinion, leaves one interdicted, and certainly never bores.

Alberto Oggero grows Arneis on estate-owned vineyards covering just over 4 hectares, spread across plots scattered throughout the Santo Stefano Roero area, including the most renowned, Le Anime and Le Coste. Here the soils are poor and sandy, capable of giving the final product natural finesse and flavor, the slopes are marked and the approach practiced between the rows is organic. Alcoholic fermentation is spontaneous with pied de cuve prepared 15 days before harvest and takes place in old concrete tanks with half of the grapes macerating in contact with the skins until the cap rises. Very low interventionism in the cellar means not touching the wine again until spring and bottling it without filtration or clarification.

Alberto Oggero's Arneis is proof that this native variety of Roero is capable of evolving over time, that it is worth waiting for, rather than marketing it with the haste that the market imposes. Aromas of white flowers, chamomile, mint and wild herbs follow one another at a cadenced pace from the first olfaction, gradually giving way to ripe yellow-fleshed fruit, candied apricot and sea breeze. In the mouth, it is rich with savory and fresh verve, dances with vigor and energy, is juicy, straight and very typical.