When I Sell 2 Wines That Are Both $20, You Should Take Note

 Guido Costacurta

 - A Formidable Young Talent

 - Makes Some of the Most Incredible and Vivid Fruit I’ve Ever Had at Wines at These Price Points

 - This is a Future Star

2019 Vigneti Costacurta Colline Novaresi Rosso

 - Gorgeous and Perfumed Nose

 - Tar, Big Cherry Fruit and Ripe Nebbiolo Character

 - Complex and Serene

 - Gorgeous Wet Earth and Mineral

 - So Complex for Such a Humble Wine.

 - Cleanliness and Purity Is Phenomenally Good

 - Concentrated and Super Fresh

 - Bright, Juicy, Round and Spicey

 - Balanced and Elegant

2020 Vigneti Costacurta Colline Novaresi Rose

 - Will Be Shipped in Time for Next Summer

 - Perhaps the Best Nebbiolo Rose I’ve Ever Had

 - World Class Rose

 - Gorgeous Nose 

 - Full of Cherry Skins, Florals

 - So Clean, So Tarry, So Floral

 - Teeming with Energy and Crispness

 - Awesome Structure

 - Intense Nebbiolo Character

The Story

We haven’t introduced a new Alto Piemonte producer in a while and it’s not for a lack of trying. Just haven’t found a winery that has moved me. One day someone reached out to me on my Fass Selections Instagram account. His name was Guido Costacurta and he was a young winemaker who was a career changer and decided at 37 to change his life and make wine. This intrigued me as many of Fass Selections’ most famous growers like Henrik Möbitz and Sven Enderle were career changers or in the case of Henrik, wine hobbyists. I liked his passion and persistence in trying to get me samples which was a trial in itself. But he did get them to me and now here we are today and I’m writing an offer. 

Guido Costacurta is 38 years old and was a graphic designer/art director before he decided to become a full time winemaker. He lives in Milan and visits his vineyards around 3 times a week in the Ghemme areas. He vinifies his wine in another cellar but owns the tanks and barrels. He also works with an oenologist. I for one am very happy that Guido has changed his career from a graphic designer to winemaker as Guido is a formidable talent. His wines blew me away. Yes, he doesn’t have grade A terroir yet, but he will soon. He makes two wines currently. A Colline Novarese Rosso which is 100% Nebbiolo and a Colline Novarese Rose which is also 100% Nebbiolo. The wines are simply stunning. In the future there will be a Ghemme (2022 or 2021 vintage) which I can’t even imagine how insanely great it will be. 

Why Are These So Inexpensive?

Today’s wines are both inexpensive due to the appellations they are in. Think of them as village wines. Both are under $20 with case purchases which I recommend heartily as these are crystal clear, precise examples of elite winemaking. I don’t know how he does it but the crystalline purity of the fruit and the linearity of the wines are unreal. They are so delicious. Just some of the most incredible and vivid fruit I’ve ever had at wines at these price points. They are magic. I tasted both wines twice and each time the 2nd bottle was even better than the first bottle and I signed him after the first bottle. He has a hands off approach in the cellar and works very hard in the vineyard. 

This is a future star. He has never exported outside of Italy and this is a big step for him. It only takes one person to believe in you. Just like my business partner believed in me I believe in Guido Costacurta. Believe me you want to get in on the ground floor on these brilliant wines. 

First up is the 2019 Vigneti Costacurta Colline Novaresi Rosso for $21.99 a bottle on a 4-pack and $19.99 on a case. I strongly recommend case purchases of this as these go down quickly and you will be blown away by the sweet, velvety Nebbiolo fruit.

Gorgeous and perfumed nose of tar, big cherry fruit and ripe Nebbiolo character. Spice and mulled cherries. Complex and serene. A gorgeous nose. After air it adds so much. Superb aromas of tarry bright cherry Nebbiolo fruit. Gorgeous wet earth and mineral. Tree bark, orange rind. So complex for such a humble wine.

Palate is super clean and has wonderful ripe, sweet tannins and amazing purity. Really the cleanliness and purity of this wine is phenomenally good. This is elite winemaking. Concentrated and super fresh. Abundant sweet mid season cherries and such dazzling purity. Wonderful wine. This is just so drinkable. It hits all the right notes. After air it improves so much. This needs an hour to get to the genius place. Palate gets bright, juicy, round and spicey with stunningly pure fruit. This is so clean. What a stunning wine for such a humble wine. Once Guido makes his Ghemme this kid will be a superstar. Just the platonic ideal of colline Novaresi Rosso. So juicy and startlingly pure. Balanced and elegant and full of red fruits. Great velvety but sweet and substantial tannins. Just so wonderful. This goes down too way too easy but will age wonderfully. For at least 5-6 years. With that hour air this becomes velvety and sweet. Just awesome. You will not believe how velvety, balanced, pure, textured and sweet this is. It’s just genius. I drank 3/4th of the bottle by myself and I never ever do that. It had that combo of sweetness, velvety texture and terroir up the wazoo that humble wines should have but rarely do. I’m already dreaming of my next bottle. 

Next up is the 2020 Vigneti Costacurta Colline Novaresi Rose for $21.99 a bottle on a 4-pack and $19.99 on a 12 bottle case. As many of you know I dislike rose immensely as they mostly taste all the same. But I do like Nebbiolo rose when done correctly and I believe some of the best Nebbiolo rose comes from Ghemme. Well the long wait is over. This is perhaps the best Nebbiolo rose I’ve ever had. Just a stunning wine. And an even more stunning value. 

This is such a superb rose and really revelatory. Gorgeous nose is full of cherry skins, florals and so much more. Tree bark, citrus skins, watermelon and strawberry. Wonderful aromas. So deep, layered and clean. 

Palate is so clean, so tarry, so floral and teeming with energy and crispness. Awesome structure for a rose and finishes very dry. Really has such an intense Nebbiolo character and seems like it could use 2-4 years. What a wine. I love how the Nebbiolo character and structure is not sacrificed to get the wine to be a rose. It’s got the tar, the earthy character and the tannins. It’s almost like a red wine. If Nebbiolo rose was made by Enderle & Moll it would taste like this. 

2019 Vigneti Costacurta Colline Novaresi Rosso - $23.99 

($87.96 4-Pack, $239.88 12 bottle case {$19.99}) 

2020 Vigneti Vigneti Costacurta Colline Novaresi Rose - $23.99

 ($87.96 4-Pack, $239.88 12 bottle case {$19.99})