Cascina Ca’Nova, Ghemme DOCG

As always, I’ll offer more context below as to why today’s wine is special, even though the basics might well suffice: It’s 100% Nebbiolo from Piedmont’s legendary 2010 vintage, just now entering its prime drinking window and costing only $45.That’s a lot right there, but of course there’s more: It’s from the Ghemme DOCG in northern Piedmont, which, along with a handful of neighboring appellations, has become a treasure trove of value for Nebbiolo lovers. Although this area was once the commercial capital of Piedmontese wine production, it was long ago eclipsed by the Alba-Asti corridor to the south, with Barolo/Barbaresco leading the way. But as we’ve seen over the last decade-plus, the regions of the alto Piemonte (“upper Piedmont”) are getting their mojo back in a major way, as exemplified by resurgent family estates such as Cascina Ca’Nova: Like many of their local contemporaries, Giada Codecasa and her father, Vittorio, restored an old farmstead and planted new vineyards in Ghemme