Le Piane Boca DOC, 2016 (750ml)

Le Piane Boca DOC, 2016 (750ml)

Regular price $82.00

I ALWAYS forget this wine until I am reminded...and, oh...THEN.  This Alto Piemontese wine sits in a class of its own.  Cooler temperatures, rustic tannin, and beguiling fruit send this bottling straight to the cellar for potentially decades of development...or, with a decant, RIGHT to the dinner table tonight with something braised.  In a word, special.

Antonio Galloni 94-96 Points “The 2016 Boca opens with an explosion of heady floral and savory aromatics. Medium in body, tightly wound and classically austere, the 2016 will thrill readers of the estate and its wines. Hints of rose petal, mint, pine and crushed rocks confer energy to a wine of delineation and raciness. This is such a tremendous expression of Nebbiolo. In a word: dazzling."

From our importer: Nowhere else in Italy is a single producer so uniquely, so singularly tied to the fame of a DOC zone. Were it not for a chance encounter with Antonio Cerri’s wines three decades ago, Cristoph Kunzli would not have embarked on his project and in all likelihood, Boca would have drifted into pure history from its stalwart perch in nearly total obscurity. There was hardly any wine being bottled when he arrived. The little that was being produced was mostly in cask as there was no market for it. Thankfully that has all changed. Alto Piemontese wines have become a “thing”, so to say. Le Piane’s Boca has become recognized not only as the Benchmark wine of Alto Piemonte, but as one of the great Nebbiolo based wines of Italy and in doing so has become a beacon of light for the whole zone. Producers are bottling again, doing a better job with their wines, even replanting vineyards. We are no longer the only ones importing from Boca, and folks don’t call me crazy any longer for deciding to import these wines nearly 2 decades ago. Well.... at least not for THAT reason. Boca is mostly Nebbiolo but also includes 15% Vespolina, a variety according to Cristoph, even more finicky than Nebbiolo. He says it would be easier and cheaper to make it from pure Nebbiolo, but is convinced the Vespolina in proper measure, simply makes the wine better.

  • Dry
  • Full Bodied
  • Pronounced Tannins
  • Organic
  • High Acid
  • Fruit Forward

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PAIRS well WITH

  • Red Meat
  • Grilled Foods
  • Smoked Foods

Details

From our Importer: Consists of Nebbiolo (85%) and Vespolina grapes. This wine requires full maturity and is treated in the barrel for 3 to 4 years, and can then be stored for decades. The mineral composition of the porphyritic soil together with the characteristic structures of the Nebbiolo grapes allow “Boca” to become a full, expressive wine. Its flavor reminds one of well-matured forest fruits, violets, tobacco and dried herbs with hints of balsam and citrus fruits. Power and a silky elegance will develop in the mouth, fascinating and playful, with a slightly noble and bitter final note. The vast complexity of taste allows one to discover new facets over and over again. Our Boca can mature and refine in bottles for up to 10-20 years.

Boca is Piemonte's easternmost DOC zone, and with the exception of the also little known area of Sizzano, it's northernmost as well. It is entirely surrounded by a mountainous national park. It forms something of a southerly exposed amphitheatre at 400-500 m elevation, just west of the "Ridiculously " beautiful Lago d'Orta. The stony soils are unique in all of Italy and closely resemble those of Cote Rotie. It was once one of Italy's most esteemed wines. In the year 1300, (no typo) a reporter from Novara described it's wines as being "renown since ancient times". Perhaps pre-Roman? There is no evidence of Nebbiolo being grown yet in the Langhe that early. Boca the wine, from the town of the same name, had fallen into near extinction. Vineyards were abandoned as folks moved into nearby Novara and Torino for jobs in post WWII Italy. It's vineyards, once famous, were divided with each passing generation into uselessly small plots.

It took a wonderfully crazy Swiss man by the name of Cristoph Kunzli, a Swiss importer of Italian wines, (Montenidoli among others) to single handedly breathe life back into this historic growing area. After more than ninety independent real estate transactions, with owners all over the world, he pieced back together a property sizable enough (6.5 hectares) and contiguous enough to merit the investment in a proper cellar. Then came the replanting of the vineyards! All in all, a Herculean effort on the part of Cristoph, but well worth it in the end. These wines are ethereal and Glorious! The AIS bestowed a huge honor on the 2004 Boca this year selecting it as one of the 30 best wines made in Italy from the approximately 200 that received their 5 bunches award. Cristoph's journey from Swiss importer of Italian wines to the most notable producer of a once dying, now thriving wine zone named Boca, centers on tasting the wines of a man named Antonio Cerri. Cerri made Boca from one half hectare of vineyard for over 60 years. Cristoph bought the land and the cellar and spent time with him to learn the history of the place and its wines.

PAIR WITH AN EASY-READING FAVORITE BOOK, FRESH PIZZA, GRILLED BEEF AND PORK

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