Colombera & Garella is partnership between the Colombera family and Cristiano Garella. The winery is located in Bramaterra in alto Piemonte and the region is the new, but old, frontier for nebbiolo where 100+ years ago they had more vineyards than the Langhe. Farming is sustainable with strictly natural yeasts in the winery and all the wines are fermented in concrete without temperature control, aged in botti and bottled unfined and unfiltered.The vineyards are stony and rich in minerals and have a pH of 4 (half that of Barbaresco). The resulting wines are fine and elegant, the softer tannins make them approachable and the acidity makes them extremely long lived. In alto Piemonte Nebbiolo is often blended with two other local grapes, Vespolina and Croatina. Vespolina is high in acid, floral and savoury with white pepper and raspberry fruit whilst Croatina is fleshy with plummy fruit and hints of chocolate and coffee.80% Nebbiolo with 10% Croatina and 10% Vespolina from a two hectare vineyard in Masserano. The soils here are high-acid, reddish-brown porphyritic sand of volcanic origin, which lends a particularly mineral character to the wines. Bramaterra is typically more structured and robust with dark berry fruit, spice, iron and meaty notes.
