Roero Arneis – Tibaldi

Fine Wine from Our Bottle Shop and Taproom:

An enchanting example of Piemonte’s flagship white grape variety, Arneis, from Monica and Daniela Tibaldi, young sisters who took over the family vineyards in the heart of the Roero hills in 2014.

It has the prettiest of scents – floral, fresh, citrusy, delicately herbal – leading into a medium-full, soft-textured palate of fragrant white peach with a twist of lemon peel, minerals and preserved lemon. It hits the spot as an aperitif and could be matched to risotto, spinach and ricotta ravioli, seafood pasta or light chicken dishes, but be careful not to pitch it against anything too sharp, as it has soft acidity. 13.5%

A bit of background: the Tibaldis have close on 7 hectares of vineyards around the hilltop village of Pocapaglia where they live, growing local Piemonte grape varieties Favorita (Vermentino), Nebbiolo and Barbera as well as Arneis. They farm organically and do everything themselves, with some help in the vineyards from their father Stefano, who they credit with teaching them the technical side, and their grandfather Tunin. I’ve previously recommended their Langhe Favorita and Nebbiolo.

Roero? A DOCG region north of Barolo and divided from it by the Tanaro river.