Date of visit: October 19, 2022
About the Producer & Our Visit to Poderi Colla
The name “Colla“ has been synonymous with Barolo, Barbaresco, and the wines of Langhe for decades. However, the family’s winemaking history predates the creation of these wines, and dates back all the way to the year 1703. Ever since then, the family has been actively involved in the production of wine. In the 1800s they produced Vermouth from Moscato grapes, and in the early 1900s, Pietro Colla began a career at Gancia (a large Italian sparkling wine estate) at the age of 15. Pietro worked at Gancia for over six decades, and became an expert at crafting sparkling wine, earning the distinguished title of “Champagnista”.
Pierto's son, Beppe Colla, is famous for creating countless gorgeous examples of Barolo and Barbaresco over the course of his career. Beppe was an expert at identifying the best vineyard sites in Langhe to plant Nebbiolo for the production of world class Barolo and Barbaresco. Being a firm believer in the importance of terroir, Beppe was the first producer in Langhe to bottle single vineyard examples of Barolo and Barbaresco in 1961 at his winery, Prunotto. Sadly, in the mid 1980s Beppe’s business partner at Prunotto passed away, and due to some financial trouble he was forced to sell the winery in 1990, and in 1994 he left the winery.
Poderi Colla was founded in 1994 by Beppe’s younger brother Tino, and his niece Federica. After Beppe’s departure from Prunotto, he joined the team at Poderi Colla. In recent years, Tino’s son Pietro, who graduated from enology school in 2006, has also joined the team. Poderi Colla produces wine from Langhe’s indigenous varieties, as well as some international varieties, sparkling wine, and of course, Barolo and Barbaresco.
We encourage you to read more about the estate on their website here.
Our visit to Poderi Colla began with a visit to their small museum located in a separate building across from the tasting room. The museum is packed wall to wall with original tools once used in the vineyards and cellars of Langhe, old bottles of Prunotto, and an original letter which was sent to farmers to warn them of Phylloxera. After the museum, Mario, who’s a friend of the Colla family, took us over to the main building to taste their wines. Mario was an absolutely amazing host, who’s incredibly knowledgeable and deeply passionate about the history of the estate and the wines of Langhe in general. In fact, Mario is one of the single most knowledgeable people that we’ve met on the wines of Langhe.
Tasting Notes
2018 Pietro Colla Alta Langa Extra Brut: Made from 90% Pinot Nero and 10% Nebbiolo, 36 months on lees, disgorged November 2021, zero dosage. Aromas of beeswax, fresh cut pears, and white flowers. Flavors of apples, pears, and brioche, with very fine perlage and vibrant acidity. A great way to start the tasting.
2021 Langhe Riesling “Ranera”: Fermented and aged in stainless steel. Aromas of crisp fresh cut apples, lemon pith, jasmine, white flowers, chamomile, and hay. The palate delivers soaring, nervous acidity with flavors of fresh cut pears, green apples, chamomile, lemon zest, and some herbaceous notes as well. Persistent finish.
2020 Langhe Riesling “Ranera”: Fermented and aged in stainless steel. Aromas of white flowers, ocean mist, sweet brioche, and some petrol. A lot more aromatic than the 2021. Flavors of fresh cut apples and pears, along with some herbaceous notes, and a tart persistent finish. A softer and rounder expression compared to the 2021. We enjoyed both wines a great deal, it was extremely interesting to compare the two vintages side by side, and to also see maybe where the 2021 is heading with additional time spent in bottle.
2021 Langhe Pinot Nero “Campo Romano”: Made from 100% Pinot Nero. Visually this wine is quite dark for a Pinot Nero. Aromas of crushed cherries, roses, and a hint of tar. Tart flavors of crushed cherries and pomegranates, along with vanilla and licorice, and a smooth, velvety mouthfeel.
2021 Dolcetto d’Alba “Pian Balbo”: Made 100% in stainless steel. A fruit forward nose filled with aromas of raspberries, strawberries, plums and grape juice. The palate is juicy, fruit forward, and easy drinking, filled with flavors of plums, black fruit, cherries, raspberries, along with a slight pepperiness, alongside smooth fine tannins. Great balance. A very enjoyable Dolcetto.
2020 Barbera d’Alba “Costa Bruna”: Aromas of rose petals, raspberries, smoke, cooked strawberries, licorice, and anise. Flavors of crushed red berries, cherries, tobacco, and a hint of vanilla, with a bit of sweet ripe red fruit on the finish.
2020 Nebbiolo d’Alba: Aromas of roses, tar, baking spices, licorice and a hint of vanilla. The palate is filled with flavors of cherry juice, ripe/mature red berries, licorice and vanilla.
2017 Barolo Bussia “Dardi Le Rose”: Aromas of crushed cherries, tar, licorice, rubber, and resin. The palate is filled with flavors of licorice, tar, and tart cherry juice, along with some hints of vanilla and espresso, alongside very fine tannins, and pleasant acidity. Though this is enjoyable now, it’s still very young and austere, and we’d be interested to revisit it in about one year's time.
2019 Barbaresco Roncaglie “Tenuta Roncaglia”: Aromas of cotton candy, rose petals, vanilla bean, licorice, and hints of tobacco and anise. The palate delivers flavors of crushed cherries and cranberries, vanilla bean, and licorice, alongside velvety, well integrated tannins, and pleasant acidity.
2018 Bricco del Drago: Made from 85% Dolcetto and 15% Nebbiolo, which are vinified separately prior to blending. The wine matures for two years in wood, and one year in bottle prior to release. Aromas of crushed cranberries, tobacco, and baking spices, followed by rose petals, and hints of licorice and crushed cherries. The palate is very elegant and round, filled with flavors of cranberries, winter berries, tart red cherries, raspberries and some spices. Despite being mostly Dolcetto (85%), the 15% of Nebbiolo totally transforms this wine into something else entirely. A really unique wine, quite different from anything else we’ve ever tasted. Really enjoyable, and a standout wine of the tasting for us.
Vermouth “Bonmè”: Bottled June/July 2022. Aromas of green herbs (primarily mint and parsley), and orange peel. The palate delivers flavors of warm honey, green herbs, candied apples and pears, and almond paste. A delicious, extremely enjoyable vermouth, and great way to end the tasting.
Thank You
Thank you Mario, and the entire team at Poderi Colla for welcoming us to your estate and generously sharing so many of your wines with us. Mario, your knowledge and passion for the wines of Langhe is incredible! We hope to see you again soon. Grazie mille!
Citations
Barolo and Barbaresco: The King and Queen of Italian Wine by Kerin O’Keefe
www.podericolla.it
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