The Paolo Scavino 2019 Langhe Nebbiolo (in a screw cap bottle) shows a lean-bodied appearance and a pretty ruby hue. The wine is redolent of bright cherry and tart plum, but you also get Nebbiolo aromas of licorice and tarry smoke. This is a crisp, streamlined wine to pair with a fried veal cutlet.

The Paolo Scavino 2018 Langhe Nebbiolo is a bright and sharp expression with high-toned aromas of sour cherry, raspberry, forest fruit and white pepper. The wine shows exceptional purity and simplicity, which makes it perfect for those irresistible moments when you want a glass or two while you are preparing dinner in the kitchen. This Langhe Nebbiolo offers terrific value.

Enrico Scavino is very happy with this wine and says its the best vintage he has ever made. I tend to agree. The 2016 Langhe Nebbiolo offers a very encouraging glimpse of the quality fruit to come (2016 Barolo should be fantastic). The grapes were harvested very late and this of course favors increased complexity and elegance. The bouquet is focused and bright with lots of wild berry fruit. Soft tannins appear on the close. This wine could have been sold as Barolo (it represents a selection of fruit from parcels in La Morra), but the family decided to declassify it and sell it at a lower price point instead. They have been farming these vineyards since the 1990s, but damage in the 2002 vintage forced them to reconsider the destination of this fruit, and the Langhe Nebbiolo was born. The vineyards are exposed to the east, and these cooler growing sites tend to make fresh and crisp fruit. The wine sees slightly shorter fermentations (two or three days less) and less time aging in oak. It goes into neutral barrique and tonneaux for ten months.

The excellent 2015 Langhe Nebbiolo sees fruit sourced from two vineyards in La Morra (Bricco Manescotto and Annunziata). These are two parcels on the same hill but on opposite sides. This is a refined and elegant expression of Nebbiolo with more substance and sophistication than you might expect. Indeed, it ages in barrique and tonneaux for ten months so the wine is anything but simple or banal. It makes a great choice for lamb or succulent pork.

The 2008 Langhe Nebbiolo emerges from the glass with sweet red cherries, flowers and spices. It is a surprisingly juicy wine for the year, with plenty of mid-palate juiciness and tons of character. The finish shows excellent grip for an entry-level bottling. Anticipated maturity: 2011-2016. Importer: Banville & Jones Wine Merchants, New York, NY; tel. (212) 268-0906