The Peasant Triumph of Taste: Stefano Bellotti’s 2014 Nibio – A Natural Wine Experience
Stefano Bellotti’s 2014 Nibio is a wine that transports you to a more relatable and human side of wine. It is the peasant triumph of taste. Despite being a mistreated Dolcetto, it has strength, temper, and pulp at its disposal. It is sincere and simple, but never boring. It has structure but great drinkability, a natural sip, and aromatic cleanliness and depth.
The beauty of a natural wine that does not hide but offers itself with all it has is this fullness of taste, the fast pace, the play of balances, and the ease of drinking.
And being a wine made without adding or removing anything, it has a very rare fullness for a Dolcetto; give it a chance, and you will discover that there are not only wines in this “category” of medium-light.
How it is produced
Biodynamics are used in the field, so herbicides, pesticides, and other chemical products are not allowed. The roots of the 20-year-old vines are in red clay, limestone, and iron-rich soil, which is great for giving strength to the grapes of this ancient red-stemmed Dolcetto biotype, which has been known in these hills for hundreds of years.
After the harvest, the bunches are de-stemmed and crushed, then the must macerates and ferments for 42 days, thanks to the natural yeasts present in the grapes. Fermentation and aging take place in big oak barrels.
Organoleptic characteristics
The bouquet is intense, dark, and austere, already evolving and tending towards ripeness. Berries, blueberries in alcohol, and cinnamon raspberry tart
Everything is drawn with force, and each perfume is inextricably intertwined with earthy echoes of splendid breath. It is not very deep or particularly pyrotechnic, but what is there is well-marked and full of charisma.
The wood has shaped all this thickness, but there are no jams or vanilla juices on the horizon.
On the palate, it is very fresh, roaring for tannins, broad in the mouth, and very penetrating. The structure is remarkable for a Dolcetto. However, the grain and fabric are there, and the look is right. The tone is rustic but does not allow itself to be smudged.
An ethereal finish with purple flowers and a hint of cocoa.
Lovely phrasing between salt and acidity.
Fair persistence. Despite the tannic power, don’t think of a muscular, pumped wine or one with explosive fruit, but rather a bantamweight that repeatedly beats like a hammer.
A wine that teaches and has a lot of cultural value. It emphasizes the importance of the land and the man as keeper and shepherd of the vineyards, and not so much the Piedmontese wine-growing snobbery in the style of Barolo.
It’s good because it’s made here, it enhances this handkerchief and its biodiversity, and it doesn’t want to ape anyone.
Price
26.30 euros on the Triple-A website. It’s a bit high, too much, an insane price many of you will say, but not for this jewel.
Food Pairings
Black truffle risotto, passatelli with Parmigiano fondue and truffle, bucatini all’amatriciana, roast beef, hamburger.