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Rovellotti

Nebbiolo 2017

Price: $28.95
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Tasting notes

Alto Piemonte Nebbiolo reads very differently from Barolo: paler, more translucent, with red cherry, dried rose, and white pepper rather than dark fruit and tar. The Valplazza vineyard's glacial moraine and clay soils give this wine a mineral edge and a taut, food-friendly acidity that makes it easy to reach for on a weeknight.

BodyFruitTanninAcidity
Red CherryDried RoseWhite PepperEarth
  • Style: Dry, medium-bodied red; pale ruby; red cherry, dried rose, white pepper, earthy; 13% ABV
  • Grapes & Terroir: 100% Nebbiolo (Spanna); Valplazza vineyard, Baraggiola subzone, Ghemme; glacial moraine, alluvial gravel, clay soils; sustainable farming
  • Winemaking: Full destemming; native yeast fermentation in stainless steel; aged in large old Slavonian oak botti
  • Serving: Serve at 60-64°F; decant 20-30 minutes; best from 2019 onward
  • Pairing: Mushroom risotto, braised rabbit, polenta with fontina, aged toma piemontese
  • Similar To: For fans of Pinot Noir and Trousseau who want Italian structure and Alpine freshness

Rovellotti's Colline Novaresi Nebbiolo comes from the Valplazza vineyard in the Baraggiola subzone of Ghemme, the southernmost sector of the appellation. Soils here are a mix of glacial moraine, alluvial gravel, and clay, sitting at the foot of Monte Rosa in Alto Piemonte. The Nebbiolo grape is known locally as Spanna and is the sole variety in the bottle.

Winemaking is straightforward and low-intervention: grapes are fully destemmed, fermented with native yeasts in stainless steel tanks, then aged in large, old Slavonian oak botti. The result is a wine that shows the grape clearly, without the extraction or new-oak overlay of the Langhe. At 13% ABV, it sits on the lighter, more transparent end of Nebbiolo's spectrum.

Expect a pale ruby color typical of Alto Piemonte Nebbiolo, with aromas of red cherry, dried rose petal, and white pepper. The palate is medium-bodied with brisk acidity and firm but fine tannins, finishing with an earthy, slightly herbal note. The 2017 vintage in Piedmont produced wines with good structure and freshness.

This is the entry-level wine in the Rovellotti lineup, below the Ghemme DOCG and Ghemme Riserva, but it draws from the same Baraggiola estate vineyards that supply both of those wines. It drinks well young and will hold for several more years.

Pair with mushroom risotto, braised rabbit, or polenta with fontina. The wine's acidity and firm tannins also stand up well to aged alpine cheeses like Castelmagno or toma piemontese. A natural match for any dish built around earthy, savory flavors.

Wine details

Dry/Sweet:, Dry
Wine Type:, Red Wine
Wine Style:, Medium Body
Grapes:, Nebbiolo
Farming:, Sustainable
Vintage:, 2017
Alcohol:, 13%
Country:, Italy
Region:, Piedmont
Appellation:, Colline Novaresi DOC
Bottle Size:, 750ml
Sugar Level:, Zero Added Sugar

We will process and ship your order in 2-3 business days, you will receive a shipping confirmation email with tracking as soon as the Carrier scans the shipping label.

Ground shipping time depends on location, here's a breakdown:

West Coast: 1-2 business days
Midwest: 3-4 business days
East Coast: 5 business days

Process time is not shipping time. Shipping time starts from the days successive to the day of shipping, after the order has been processed.

See here our shipping policy.


Important Compliance Requirements

FedEx and other carriers we might occasionally use can only deliver wine to customers who are 21 years or older. Someone must be at the address to receive the package, carriers don't just drop a package and leave. They must ensure the person receiving the wine is 21 or older.


Re-shipping a Package

If a package is returned to us after three failed delivery attempts, we can only re-ship the wine upon payment of a re-shipping fee, to be determined based on the shipping address and number of bottles. Shipping wine is extremely expensive. We are sorry about this, but we have no other choice. Please make sure there's always someone at the address you enter as your shipping address.

If you'd like to receive a refund for a package that was returned to us after FedEx made three delivery attempts, we can do that but we must keep a $20 refund fee; FedEx charges us a lot of money for returns, unfortunately, I can't stress this enough.


Re-routing a Package

If you'd like to reroute a package after it's been shipped, we can do so for a $20 re-routing fee. We cannot re-route a package across state borders. For any change of address, please contact us as soon as possible, ideally within 1-2 days from placing the order or we cannot guarantee we'll be able to reroute or change your order's shipping address.


Canceling an Order

If you'd like to cancel an order after it's been shipped, we can do so upon payment of a small cancellation fee – the amount depends on the size of the order. Carriers charge us a lot of money to recall a package en-route.


Heat/Frost damage

We are not responsible for heat- or frost-related issues. We offer ice-packs upon request. Please let us know if you think that there could be heat-related issues. If we don't hear anything from you regarding weather issues before an order is shipped, or if you don't request a hold due to the weather, we are not responsible for heat/frost damage.


Placed an order. What next?

1. You will receive an order confirmation email with your order summary.*

2. As soon as your order ships from the warehouse, usually within 2-3 business days, this applies to all shipping rates, you will receive a shipping confirmation email with your tracking information. 2DAY shipping refers to shipping time; we still need 2-3 business days to prepare an order. We need to pick and pack, QA, add printed collateral, and palletize the orders.

3. Please track your package using the tracking service.

4. The carrier will attempt delivery a maximum of 3 times. After 3 delivery attempts, your package will be sent back to our warehouse.**

*Please ensure your email address is correct; otherwise, you will not receive the order and shipping confirmation emails.

**If delivery is attempted 3 times without success, or if you fail to retrieve your package from the carrier depot by the stated deadline, the shipping fee will not be refunded to the customer.

Returns Policy

If you are not satisfied with your purchase, please contact us at (424) 414-2040 or via e-mail at hello@primalwine.com between 9 am and 5 pm Pacific Standard Time, Monday through Sunday, we would like to understand and try to solve your concerns. We can offer refunds only as store credit.

Producer profile

Rovellotti

The Rovellotti family has been documented in Ghemme since at least the late 15th century and today the estate is run by brothers Antonello and Paolo Rovellotti. The winery operates out of several small underground cellars within the Ricetto di Ghemme, a 10th-century fortified walled compound at the center of town. Of the fewer than 200 people worldwide who carry the Rovellotti surname, 66 live in and around Ghemme.

The family's vineyards cover approximately 15 hectares, all within the Baraggiola subzone of Ghemme, the southernmost sector of the appellation. The four main parcels are Valplazza (Nebbiolo, source of the Colline Novaresi bottling), Valle d'Enrico (Erbaluce), Chioso dei Pomi (Nebbiolo and Vespolina for the Ghemme DOCG, recognized as a prime site since the 17th century), and Costa del Salmino (oldest Nebbiolo vines, the backbone of the Ghemme Riserva). Farming is sustainable, targeting zero chemical use; since the 1980s Antonello Rovellotti has collaborated with the University of Milan to restore the ecological balance of the estate's land.

Winemaking at Rovellotti follows a traditional, low-intervention approach. For the Colline Novaresi Nebbiolo, grapes from Valplazza are fully destemmed and fermented spontaneously with native yeasts in stainless steel tanks. The wine is then aged in large, old Slavonian oak botti. Winemaker Paolo Rovellotti manages the cellar, which is stacked with decades-old large-format casks. The goal is transparency of fruit and terroir rather than extraction or new-oak influence.

Wine region

Piedmont, Italy

Colline Novaresi is a DOC established in 1994 in the northern part of Piedmont's Novara province, situated between the Sesia and Ticino rivers at the foot of Monte Rosa. Vineyards range from 180 to 550 meters in elevation, benefiting from cool Alpine winds and a significant diurnal temperature range. Soils are primarily glacial moraine, alluvial gravel, and clay deposits left by ancient glacial activity, giving wines a mineral backbone distinct from the volcanic soils further north in Boca and Gattinara.

The DOC overlaps with several neighboring appellations including Ghemme DOCG, Fara DOC, and Boca DOC, all of which belong to the Consorzio Tutela Nebbioli di Alto Piemonte. Nebbiolo, known locally as Spanna, is the anchor variety for red wines, with Vespolina and Uva Rara permitted in blends. Colline Novaresi Nebbiolo labeled wines must contain at least 85% of the variety. Compared to Langhe Nebbiolo, wines from this zone tend to be paler in color, lighter in body, and approachable at a younger age, while retaining the variety's characteristic acidity and tannin structure.

Frequently asked question

We will process and ship your order in 2-3 business days, you will receive a shipping confirmation email with tracking as soon as the Carrier scans the shipping label.

Ground shipping time depends on location, here's a breakdown:

West Coast: 1-2 business days
Midwest: 3-4 business days
East Coast: 5 business days

Process time is not shipping time. Shipping time starts from the days successive to the day of shipping, after the order has been processed.

See here our shipping policy.

Signature on delivery is mandatory for wine deliveries. Please make sure someone is at the shipping address to sign for the package.

If applicable, please consider delivering the package to a business address to ensure someone is available to sign for the package.

We also have the option of delivering the package to a Carrier's store for pickup. Please reach out to us to coordinate.

Carrier will try to delivery a package up to three times before returning the package to us.

See here our shipping policy.

If you miss a delivery and a package gets returned to us we have two options:

1) Reship the package right away: due to the very high cost of shipping and returns, we must charge a re-shipping fee to be determined based on package size and shipping destination.

2) Consolidate the returned package with your next order: this option is free of charge and it's the most popular option.

See here our shipping policy.

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