Gianni Doglia Monferrato Rosso Nebbiolo 2018

Every time I open a bottle of wine from Gianni Doglia, I get the feeling we have a budding rock star of winegrower on our hands. His wines absolutely burst with fruit. They are juicy, long on the palate and deliver incredible bang for the buck. His latest release is a tank-fermented Nebbiolo. Finding great value in Nebbiolo, the grape variety of Barolo and Barbaresco, is a really tough go. Like all great Tuesday night wines, to find value, you have to get off the beaten path.

The hills of Asti, where I found Gianni pruning in the spring of 2015 at 9:00 at night, definitely qualifies. The soil is special in Asti, sandy and laden with limestone, perfect for creating pure wines with plenty of finesse. The ’18 Nebbiolo Monferrato is purple to its core, bright and wonderfully aromatic. Drink it all summer long with grilled meat, salmon or pizza or just by itself, it’s a delicious glass of wine all by itself.