Name: 2017 Michele Chiarlo Nizza La Court - 750 ml
Brand: Michele Chiarlo
SKU: 98009-750-AI
Price: 44.99 USD
Availability: InStock

2017 Michele Chiarlo Nizza La Court

93 VM

Qty:

Sokolin Notes:
Taste Matters. This Wine Tastes Great!

From the critics:

93 AG

93 WE

92 RP

90 WS

The 2017 Nizza LaCourt is soft, supple, rich and open but not at all heavy. Raspberry jam, mocha, spice, new leather all build as this succulent forward Nizza shows off its considerable appeal. The 2017 hits all the right notes. It is a terrific effort from the Chiarlo family.

Antonio Galloni | 93 AG

Dark-skinned fruit, cedar and scorched earth aromas lead the nose. The structured, balanced palate offers Marasca cherry, blackberry jam and licorice alongside polished tannins. Drink 2023–2029.

Wine Enthusiast | 93 WE

The Michele Chiarlo 2017 Nizza Riserva La Court is a beautifully enriched and generous wine that gives ample volume and depth to the Barbera grape. This food-friendly option shows the dark fruit (blackberry and plum) to pair with most pasta or meat dishes. It also offers just enough acidity to cut through any recipe that is heavy on cheese or cream. This bottle is ready to drink now.

Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 92 RP

Bright blueberry and boysenberry aromas and flavors highlight this vibrant red, with flashes of earth and toasty oak spice. It’s very discreet in the end, where light oak tannins come into play. Drink now through 2024. 1,000 cases made, 150 cases imported.

Wine Spectator | 90 WS

Type of Wine	Italy Red
Varietal	Barbera : The country of Italy is a viticultural paradise, teeming with some of the world’s most popular grape varietals. Among this plethora of quality grapes is Barbera; once regarded as rather ordinary partly because it was so widely planted. In fact it was one of the most common Piemontese grapes and used as the everyday drinking wine on Italian dinner tables. However, “No grape has known such a dramatic upgrade in its fortunes and image in the last 20 years than Barbera in Piemonte, north-west Italy,” states the great Jancis Robinson. Barbera vines have grown in the Piedmont region of Monferrato for centuries, where it is thought to have originated. It was traditionally used to make inexpensive, easy drinking everyday wines and grown and sold in bulk for blending. At the beginning of the twentieth century, it was the third most planted red grape in Italy with 20, 524 hectares covering the hills of Italy. The total amount of hectares grown in Italy is diminishing; however, where the quantity of vines is lessening, the quality of wine is on the rise. Barbera is encountered in both blended wines and varietals and the latter are becoming increasingly common as Italy continues its move towards varietal labeling. The vigorous, adaptable vines of Barbera can grow in a myriad of soils from calcareous clay to limestone to sand and can withstand hot climates. Although the majority of Barbera is planted in Piedmont, it can be found in numerous appellations of Italy, including Emilia-Romagna, Puglia, Campania, Sicily and Sardinia. Because of its heat tolerance, it has also traveled beyond its native homeland, landing in South Africa, Australia, Argentina and California and is responsible for high quality wines in each of these countries. The thick-skinned, dark purple berries of Barbera grow on rootstocks that have no known incompatibilities making this feat even more possible. Barbera d’Asti and Barbera d’Alba remain the quintessential wines of Italy, hailing from the towns of Asti and Alba. These locations have placed Barbera on the map of varietal driven markets around the world, influencing their “New World” counterparts. The wines made from Barbera are juicy, relatively light bodied despite its deep, bold purple color and is extremely drinkable due to its refreshingly high acidity, low tannins and moderate alcohol. This once common table wines has been elevated to a new standard and is being recognized as one of the great varietals of Italy, alongside the esteemed Sangiovese and Nebbiolo.
Country	Italy : Italy is renowned as one of the world’s greatest gastronomic havens; from certified Prosciutto di Parma to the sea-side seafood eateries on the island of Sicily. However, this epicurean experience could not possibly be as hedonistic without the ethereal combination of the country’s plethora of fine wines. It seems unfair that a nation should be able to boast, both, some of the world’s greatest cuisine as well as its greatest wines. Italian wine is one of the most sought after in the world, and has become the second most produced in the world, behind only France. Stretching an impressive 736 miles from northern Italy to the peninsula’s southern tip, the country’s geography generates an enormous array of topography, climate and soil structure. This is an extremely important quality of its winegrowing and making industry which lays claim to nearly 550 different grape varietals, which all desire their own necessities, in terms of terroir and climate. The still red wines of Italy truly characterize the nation’s vast and expansive terroir; Nebbiolo dominates Piedmont, where Barolo and Barbaresco reign king and queen of the region’s production. Hailing from Brunello di Montalcino in Tuscany, the rockstar Sangiovese grape has become synonymous with greatness. Vin Santo sweet wines have taken on a mighty feat of competing with the glorious wines of Sauternes, and of course, Prosecco. Prosecco, located in Trieste (northeast Italy) and its creation of luxuriously effervescent styles of wine has become Italy’s answer to Champagne. The Glera grape variety, which has become synonymous with the name Prosecco, is the main ingredient and is beloved in the appellation where the village of Prosecco’s name has become world renowned. The blurred boundary between Italy and the countries of Slovenia and Austria, where German influence still resonates through Friuli wines. The prevalence of Riesling and other such grape varietals is high in this region and have become extremely popular on today’s market. With nearly 702,000 hectares of grapevines covering the massive and diverse landscape, Italy’s annual average of 48.3 million hectoliters of wine production is second only to France in terms of volume and Spain in terms of hectares of vines. The country is vast and overwhelming when it comes to the culinary arts, but perhaps even this is overshadowed by its production of some of the world’s most sought after wines, whether the omnipresent Chianti to the highly collectible and sought after Amarone della Valpolicalla.
Region	Piedmont : Italian culture values the unbreakable bond we share with family and very few things showcase that connection quite like a shared meal. Therefore, it's only natural that wine would also take its place as an important cultural aspect. Fine Italian produce always goes well with a variety of dishes, and that makes these wines an incredibly popular choice among wine enthusiasts who appreciate a good get-together. The foothills of the Alps help define this region's significantly colder, continental winter climate, but during the summer, the conditions are similar to the region of Burgundy. Flavor-wise, this region has a mind-boggling variety to offer. Not only is there a healthy selection of approved grapes to work with, but the soil often varies from estate to estate, letting every wine stand out. Expect to encounter powerful notes of rose petal flavor, spices, cherries, dried herbs, anise, and many more. Every bottle has a story to tell. Those of you with a tendency to hoard and collect fine wines will be especially intrigued, as Piedmont wines tend to mature extremely well, developing nuance and becoming more and more delicious as time goes on.
Subregion	Nizza
Climat/Vineyard	La Court

Producer	Michele Chiarlo : The story of Michele Chiarlo is one of great intimacy between man and terroir, of tradition, discipline and humble beginnings. The Michele Chiarlo name was made with the rise of the glorious reputation of Barolo. He had come from five generations of grape growers and now with his sons representing the seventh generation, the legacy of his family name lives on. Since 1956, Michele has been vinifying the essence of Piedmont, loving and developing the most incredible wines in the region. The history of the estate dates back to 1930 when Michele’s father, Pietro, first tilled the lands, breaking the soil by hand to replant his vineyards in the Calamandrana hillside of Monferrato, Italy. Pietro cobbled enough together to purchase an ‘underrated’ parcel of land and with great determination, turned it into something viable for his children. Each new generation since has added and expanded onto the humble beginnings to create a living legacy. This romantic narrative, like many others diverges, carving out a new road for Barbera and Barolo and its impact on the global wine industry. The Chiarlo family now cultivates 110 hectares of vineyards between the Langhe, Monferrato, and Gavi areas, within them the finest crus, while fully respecting the ecological criteria, terroir and their expression. The estate’s core tenet is to produce the highest quality Piemontese wines while respecting the beauty of nature, using discipline, tradition, and sustainability. Working only with indigenous grapes, Nebbiolo, Barbera, Cortese and Moscato, Chiarlo continues the traditional winemaking style implemented by his father, Pietro, nearly a century ago. For the Chiarlo family, “the vineyard is a living thing, a life that we want to experience.” The centrality of work in the vineyard, origin of the uniqueness of a wine, to which they dedicate the strictest attention, in full respect for the environment and sustainability of work; every operation in the vineyards is performed manually, from fertilization to the green work, up to thinning and the harvest. The dedication towards native vines, such as Barbera, shown by Michele Chiarlo has been a fundamental platform for its emergence on the international wine scene. Chiarlo and many vintners alike, such as Renato Ratti, have propelled the wines of the Piedmont region into the global spotlight; each vintage growing in popularity and demand. Unfortunately, higher-end ‘Cru’ wines are made in limited quantities and only in the greatest vintages. From the highly esteemed vineyards of Cerequio, Cannubi (perhaps the most famous hill in all of Italy) Asili and Faset, the Barolo and Barbarescos of Michele Chiarlo have become some of the hottest labels coming out of Piedmont. His Barbera d’Asti from the vineyards of Montemareto and Costa dell Monache have garnered world-wide attention, while his Gavi and Moscato d’Asti have quietly swelled in popularity. Using 100% indigenous grapes, without the assemblage of international varieties, a pure expression of the oenological wealth that only this native land knows how to convey.