Nebbiolo Masterclass: Barolo, Barbaresco, Valtellina, and Beyond

PIEDMONT NEWSLETTER
June 2026

There is no grape in Italy that demands more of you—or rewards you more deeply—than Nebbiolo. It's the reason I fell in love with Piedmont. It's the reason I keep going back. This week, we are exploring Nebbiolo in all its forms: from the graceful, approachable wines of the Langhe to the iron-fisted grandeur of Barolo, the alpine severity of Valtellina, and the haunting minerality of Alto Piemonte.

We are also welcoming our newest Direct Import partner, Vigneti Repetto, whose Timorasso Derthona is one of the most exciting discoveries I have made in Piedmont in years. And we have our K&L Discovery Series Barolo for those who want to build a serious cellar without spending a serious fortune. Nebbiolo isn't always easy. But I promise you: it's always worth it.

— Orazio Campoli, K&L Italian Wine Buyer

THIS WEEK'S HIGHLIGHTS

· Vigneti Repetto: K&L's Newest Direct Import — The White Barolo Has Arrived
· Nebbiolo Masterclass: One Grape, Six Expressions
· K&L Discovery Series Barolo: The 2016 Vintage Release Is Here
· K&L Italian Wine Club: Curated Monthly by Orazio
· Saturday June 27: Gaja "Costa Russi" Barbaresco at the Pour — All Four Stores Limited seats · $65 · Reserve Now

INTRODUCING VIGNETI REPETTO:
K&L's New Direct Import from Piedmont's Colli Tortonesi

When people think of Piedmont, they almost always think of the Langhe: Barolo, Barbaresco, the rolling hills around Alba that have defined Italian fine wine for generations. And for good reason. But I have always believed that some of the most exciting and paradigm-shifting wines in Piedmont are being made far from that spotlight, in the steep, fiercely independent hills of the southeast: the Colli Tortonesi. Read more On The Trail.

2023 Vigneti Repetto "Quadro" Timorasso Derthona DOC $24.99 View
2021 Vigneti Repetto "Quadro" Timorasso Derthona DOC (Vintage Release) $39.99 View
2021 Vigneti Repetto "Sfera" Barbera Colli Tortonesi $19.99 View
2018 Vigneti Repetto "Evoluta" Monleale Barbera $39.99 View

NEBBIOLO
One Grape, Six Expressions

Langhe/Roero: The approachable face of Nebbiolo

Declassified fruit from the great Barolo and Barbaresco hills, plus the sandy soils of Roero and Nebbiolo d'Alba, gives wines that trade structure for perfume—rose, red cherry, dried herb—and drink beautifully tonight. The grape's clearest, most generous expression, at a fraction of the price.

2024 Matteo Ascheri Langhe Nebbiolo $24.99 View
2023 Gianfranco Bovio 'Firagnetti' Langhe Nebbiolo $29.99 View
2023 Bruno Giacosa "Valmaggiore" Nebbiolo d'Alba (Elsewhere $70) $49.99 View

Barbaresco: Nebbiolo's more lyrical voice

Warmer, lower sites along the Tanaro ripen earlier than Barolo, yielding wines of finesse and aromatic lift—sooner to open, no less profound. Asili and the Treiso hills set the benchmark.

2020Ada Nada 'Cichin' Barbaresco Riserva Rombone (Elsewhere $80) 95 $54.99 View
2022 Ca' del Baio "Asili" Barbaresco 94 $59.99 View
2022 Castello di Verduno Barbaresco 93 $59.99 View

Barolo: The benchmark

Powerful, austere in youth, and built for decades—Nebbiolo at its most demanding and most rewarding. Read across the crus and you read the map: Monforte's depth, La Morra's grace, Castiglione's poise, Serralunga's iron.

2021 Raineri "Perno" Barolo (Elsewhere $70) 94 $49.99 View
2021 Raineri "Castelletto" Barolo (Elsewhere $100) 95 $59.99 View
2021 Boroli "Villero" Barolo (Elsewhere $100) 94 $69.99 View
2021 Boroli "Brunella" Barolo (Elsewhere $110) 94 $79.99 View
2021 Renato Ratti "Marcenasco" Barolo 97 $79.99 View
2021 Pio Cesare Barolo 96 $79.99 View
2019 Elvio Cogno "Vigna Elena" Barolo Riserva (Elsewhere $240) 99 $189.99 View

Alto Piemonte: Nebbiolo gone Alpine

On the acidic, volcanic-influenced soils of the north—where the grape goes by Spanna—Nebbiolo turns leaner, higher-toned, and mineral, with a savory iron edge. Gattinara and Lessona are its great names, reborn over the last decade.

2022 Nervi-Conterno Gattinara (Elsewhere $100) 96 $79.99 View
2021 Nervi-Conterno "Vigna Valferana" Gattinara (Elsewhere $200) 95 $149.99 View
2021 Nervi-Conterno "Vigna Molsino" Gattinara (Elsewhere $200) 94 $149.99 View
2008 Proprieta Sperino Lessona (Winery Direct) 95 $199.99 View

Valle d'Aosta: The highest Nebbiolo in Italy

At the top of the valley in Donnas, locals call it Picotendro. The wines are lighter-framed, brisk, and unmistakably mountain — alpine herb, crushed stone, bright red fruit.

2018 Donnas 'Classico' Valle d'Aosta 93 $29.99 View

Valtellina: Nebbiolo on the cliff face

Across the border in Lombardy—here it's Chiavennasca—vines cling to terraced, south-facing Alpine slopes above the Adda. The result is tension and transparency: fine-boned, savory, ageless in the hands of a master like ArPePe. Sassella, Grumello, Inferno—the crus reward patience.

2019 Plozza Rosso Di Valtellina $24.99 View
2023 ArPePe Rosso Di Valtellina $47.99 View
2016 ArPePe "Buon Consiglio" Grumello Valtellina Superiore Riserva 93 $129.99 View
2013 ArPePe "Nuova Regina" Sassella Valtellina Superiore Riserva 96 $119.99 View
2017 ArPePe "Fiamme Antiche" Inferno Riserva Valtellina Superiore 94 $59.99 View

K&L DISCOVERY SERIES:
Barolo for Every Cellar

Barolo is not just one wine—it's a tapestry of villages, soils, and philosophies. Each Barolo village brings its own unique voice to the Nebbiolo grape, from the elegant and fragrant wines of La Morra to the powerful, structured bottles of Monforte d'Alba. This page explores the differences between Barolo villages and the two main winemaking philosophies: Modernist and Traditionalist. Read more On The Trail.

2021 K&L Discovery Series Italy, Barolo (Elsewhere $60) $27.99 View
2016 K&L Discovery Series Italy, Barolo (Vintage Release) (Elsewhere $60) $34.99 View
2021 K&L Discovery Series Italy, Barolo Mosconi (Elsewhere $70) $37.99 View

ITALIAN WINE CLUB
Go Deeper. One Region at a Time.

If this newsletter has made you want to explore further, the K&L Italian Wine Club is how you do it. Every month, two bottles curated by me — from the benchmark classics that define Italian wine to the discoveries that redefine it. $39.95 per month. This is not a generic wine club. It is a guided education in one of the world's most complex and rewarding wine countries, built around the same philosophy that drives everything we do: find the best, pay a fair price, understand what you are drinking. Join the Italian Wine Club!

Piedmont and Beyond: The Wines of Northern Italy

Saturday, June 27th
$65 per ticket
1:00PM-4:00PM — K&L San Francisco
1:00PM-4:00PM — K&L Redwood City
3:00PM-6:00PM — K&L Hollywood
3:00PM-6:00PM — K&L Culver City

This tasting ranges from a rare Timorasso Derthona in the Colli Tortonesi all the way to a Gaja Costa Russi Barbaresco in the Langhe, with some wonderful stops along the way as we tour northern Italy. The best way to understand these regions and the great wines they produce is to taste them, so join us this Saturday!

2023 Vigneti Repetto "Quadro" Timorasso Derthona DOC $24.99 View
2023 Braida "Limonte" Grignolino $27.99 View
2019 Plozza Rosso Di Valtellina (Wine Club Price: $19.99) $24.99 View
2023 Gianfranco Bovio 'Firagnetti' Langhe Nebbiolo (Wine Club Price: $24.99) $29.99 View
2022 Giacomo Conterno "Arione" Nebbiolo d'Alba (Elsewhere $250) $169.99 View
2020 Gaja "Costa Russi" Barbaresco $749.99 View
2021 Gaja "Costa Russi" Barbaresco $749.99 View

Lineup is subject to change. Walk-ins permitted as capacity allows.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Nebbiolo wine?
Nebbiolo is a red grape variety grown primarily in Piedmont, northwestern Italy. It is the grape behind Barolo and Barbaresco, Italy's two most celebrated red wines. Named for the autumn fog (nebbia) that blankets its vineyards at harvest, Nebbiolo produces wines of exceptional structure, high acidity, and firm tannins that soften and develop extraordinary complexity with age. It is widely considered one of the world's great noble grape varieties.

What is the difference between Barolo and Barbaresco?
Both Barolo and Barbaresco are made from 100% Nebbiolo in Piedmont's Langhe hills. Barolo is generally more powerful, tannic, and age-worthy, requiring a minimum of three years aging before release. Barbaresco is typically more approachable in youth — more aromatic and elegant — requiring two years of aging. Both are capable of aging for decades and are considered among Italy's finest wines.

What is Gattinara wine?
Gattinara is a Nebbiolo-based wine from Alto Piemonte in northern Piedmont, produced on volcanic soils dramatically different from the Langhe. Here Nebbiolo goes by the name Spanna and produces wines that are leaner, more mineral, and higher-toned than Barolo. Nervi-Conterno is widely considered the benchmark producer. Gattinara represents some of the finest value in Nebbiolo. What is Valtellina wine? Valtellina is a wine region in Lombardy, just across the border from Piedmont, where Nebbiolo is called Chiavennasca. Vines are grown on dramatic terraced slopes above the Adda River. The wines are fine-boned, savory, and age-worthy — among Italy's most distinctive and underappreciated reds. ArPePe is the region's most celebrated producer.

What is Timorasso wine?
Timorasso is a rare white grape native to the Colli Tortonesi in southeastern Piedmont. Nearly extinct in the 20th century, it was revived by pioneering producers and is now celebrated as one of Italy's great white grapes. Known as the "White Barolo," it has the acidity of Chablis and the aging trajectory of great dry Riesling. The historic name for Timorasso from the Colli Tortonesi is Derthona.

What is the best Barolo under $100?
K&L Italian Wine Buyer Orazio Campoli's top Barolo picks under $100 from the 2021 vintage include Raineri "Perno" at $49.99 (94 points, elsewhere $70), Renato Ratti "Marcenasco" at $79.99 (97 points), and Pio Cesare at $79.99 (96 points). The K&L Discovery Series 2016 Vintage Release at $34.99 is also exceptional value from one of the greatest Barolo vintages in recent memory.

What is the K&L Italian Wine Club?
The K&L Italian Wine Club is a monthly subscription curated personally by Orazio Campoli, K&L Italian Wine Buyer. Members receive two bottles per month at $39.95, selected from across Italy's wine regions. The club is designed as a guided education in Italian wine rather than a generic subscription service.