Monsecco, Colline Novaresi Nebbiolo, “Pratogrande” Online now

Monsecco, Colline Novaresi Nebbiolo, “Pratogrande”

As I write this, a cold front is sweeping through my area, bringing blustery winds with it. The trees are swaying, the ground is blanketed with leaves and small branches, and as far as I’m concerned, there is no more perfect wine for this moment than Monsecco’s “Pratogrande” Nebbiolo.

It smells like the approaching winter: warm spices, dried fruits, and a hint of smoke, like leaves burning in the distance. Grown in the hills north of Novara, in northern Piedmont, this is a wine to take refuge in, a wine that counters a biting chill by biting back—without taking too much of a bite out of your bank account. For those of you already enamored with Piedmontese Nebbiolo, all you need to do is look at the price and the name Monsecco and it’s off to the races: The Zanetta family has proved, across its broad-ranging lineup, that they are among the most masterful, and tradition-minded, growers of Nebbiolo in the entire “alto Piemonte.” Pratogrande is sourced from hillside vineyards that skirt the famed Gattinara and Ghemme DOCGs (Monsecco makes wines from both designations) and, with its “Colline Novaresi” designation, is to those DOCGs what “Langhe Nebbiolo” is to Barolo—the “little brother” wine that often becomes the star of the show. If you are like me and crave the woodsy, autumnal flavors of Nebbiolo even more than usual this time of year, get this wine in your glass as soon as possible; it’s everything one could ask for and more, performing at a level way above its modest price point.