Giacomo Fenocchio “Roero Arneis”

Piedmont, Italy | 2023

Giacomo Fenocchio is about as traditional as Barolo gets. The family estate dates back to 1864 and today is run by brothers Claudio and Albino Fenocchio, the fifth generation of the family. Their home base is in Bussia in Monforte d’Alba, but they also farm some seriously impressive vineyards across the Barolo zone, including Cannubi, Villero and Castellero. While plenty has changed in Piedmont over the past 160 years, Fenocchio has remained remarkably committed to the old-school way of doing things: farming carefully, intervening as little as possible, and making wines that taste like where they come from rather than chasing whatever style happens to be fashionable at the moment.

We focus a lot on Barolo’s nebbiolos at Le Midi, so it only seemed fair to give one of our favorite Barolo producers’ white wines a little attention. Fenocchio farms just 1.5 hectares of Arneis in Monteu Roero, across the Tanaro River from Barolo, and makes only around 10,000 bottles a year. The wine is raised entirely in stainless steel, keeping everything bright and fresh, with pear, citrus, white flowers, a little almond, and that lovely combination of freshness and texture that makes good Arneis so easy to drink. Think of it as Italy’s answer to white Burgundy.

This is not a wine that requires an hour-long discussion to enjoy, and sometimes that is exactly what we want. Put it on the table with a plate of cheese, seafood, pasta, or just a bowl of potato chips and call it a night!