2021 Andrea e Beatrice Runchet Langhe Nebbiolo

This is the Nebbiolo most people never taste—the one locals actually drink.

The 2021 Andrea e Beatrice Runchet Langhe Nebbiolo comes from small holdings in the Langhe, farmed and vinified by a new-generation producer more interested in honesty than hierarchy. While Barolo and Barbaresco dominate headlines and pricing, Langhe Nebbiolo remains the region’s best-kept secret: the same grape, the same hills, often the same hands—just without the inflation.

Runchet is a tiny, quality-driven estate run by Andrea and Beatrice, who work with precision, restraint, and a clear respect for Nebbiolo’s natural character. Farming is careful and hands-on, yields are controlled, and cellar work is intentionally traditional. This is not Nebbiolo engineered to imitate Barolo. It’s Nebbiolo allowed to speak clearly, early, and transparently.

The 2021 vintage is a standout. A growing season marked by balance and freshness delivered fruit with classic aromatics and fine structural detail. In the glass, the wine shows pale ruby with flashes of garnet—textbook Nebbiolo. Aromas immediately lift: rose petal, sour cherry, wild strawberry, dried herbs, orange peel, and a subtle earthy spice that hints at truffle and forest floor.

On the palate, this wine delivers exactly what serious Nebbiolo lovers crave. Medium-bodied, taut, and precise, it leads with red fruit—cherry skin, cranberry, pomegranate—supported by bright acidity and fine, chalky tannins. There’s grip, but no heaviness. Tension without austerity. The finish is long, dry, and savory, with that unmistakable Nebbiolo bitterness that keeps you reaching for food—and another sip.

What makes this bottle compelling isn’t just how it drinks, but what it represents. Langhe Nebbiolo like this is increasingly rare: authentic, small-production, traditionally made, and priced for actual drinking. Many growers have shifted focus entirely to top crus and higher margins. Runchet hasn’t. This wine is a snapshot of the Langhe as it really is, not just as it’s marketed.

For collectors, this is a smart play. A way to enjoy Nebbiolo’s perfume and structure without waiting a decade or spending three figures. For drinkers, it’s a reminder that great Piedmontese wine doesn’t need a grand appellation to be serious.

The 2021 Andrea e Beatrice Runchet Langhe Nebbiolo is transparent, food-driven, and quietly confident. It doesn’t shout. It doesn’t posture. It just delivers everything Nebbiolo is supposed to—without the tax.

Open it young. Pair it well. Buy more than one.