This is the beautiful little house in the vineyard that is the inspiration for the label of the Le Piane wines. It was a vintner home - one we'd love to have, but if surrounded by our work maybe we'd think twice? Boca was a dying region, that since the late 90s has been resurrected by Christoph. The wine is truly something special, if not for the fact that it is rather rare too.
The name "La Maggiorina" on the wine we feature this Friday is named for the traditional Maggiorina system, where four vines evolve in the four cardinal points forming a cup. The architect Antonelli, who also built the Mole Antonelliana in Turin, originally developed this system. He was a native of the neighbouring commune Maggiora, which belongs to the Boca wine region. Even though the system has ceased to meet modern agricultural requirements, it is still often found in vineyards.
Like the description of these four cardinal points forming a cup the system sounds rather deilcate, just like "La Maggiorina". A beautiful expression of the elegance nebbiolo can bring to a wine, La Maggiorina is mostly croatina, vespolina, uvarara and finally, nebbiolo. It is a fresh and red-fruity wine with an ever present mineral undertone and a slightly spicy finish. Simply delightful - like its producer and its region.
La Maggiorina 2009 $15 a bottle
