Munaloss Vino Rosso 2023

Cantine Garrone’s “Munaloss” isn’t your polished, buttoned-up Langhe Nebbiolo. It’s something more visceral—raw, crystalline, and impossibly fresh. The Garrone family is working tiny parcels of ancient, “toppia”-trained vines in the Val d’Ossola (think massive stone pergolas) just a stone’s throw from the Swiss border. This is extreme viticulture, and it shows in the glass.

The 2023 is a blend of roughly 80% Prünent (the local name for Nebbiolo) and 20% Croatina. While the Prünent provides that haunting, translucent structure, the Croatina adds a rustic, juicy “pop” that makes the wine dangerously drinkable. It’s elegant enough to contemplate on a Tuesday night, but rugged enough to handle a pizza with spicy salami or a bowl of tajarin with plenty of butter and sage. Give it a light chill—about 20 minutes in the fridge—to really let those alpine aromatics sing.