A youthful, vibrant and beautifully approachable expression of 100% Nebbiolo from the hills surrounding Alba, Marrone’s “Che Vale” Langhe Nebbiolo 2024 captures the perfume and elegance of Piedmont’s great red grape without the weight or extended ageing of Barolo.
Produced from vineyards in Madonna di Como, Alba, the wine emphasizes freshness and aromatic purity, with classic Nebbiolo notes of rose, violet, ripe cherry and red berries, supported by fine tannins and a subtle earthy complexity.
Producer: Agricola Gian Piero Marrone
Region: Langhe DOC, Piedmont, Italy
Vineyard: Madonna di Como, Alba
Grape: 100% Nebbiolo
Vintage: 2024
Altitude: Approximately 400 metres
Exposure: Southeast
Style: Fresh · Floral · Elegant · Medium-Bodied
The vineyards sit on predominantly calcareous soils with quartz sand and very fine limestone, interspersed with compact layers of grey sandstone. The vines were planted around 1995 and are trained using traditional Guyot.
Nose:
Fragrant and unmistakably Nebbiolo, opening with rose petals and violet, followed by ripe cherry, wild strawberry and small red berries. With air, delicate notes of forest floor, dried herbs and subtle spice emerge.
Palate:
Fresh and energetic, with juicy red cherry and raspberry at the core. Floral and gently earthy notes provide complexity, while the wine remains wonderfully lively and approachable.
Structure:
Medium-bodied with bright acidity and fine, polished tannins. This is Nebbiolo designed around elegance and drinkability rather than the formidable structure of Barolo or Barbaresco.
Finish:
Fresh and persistent, with lingering red cherry, wild berries, rose petals and subtle earthy notes, finishing clean and gently tannic.
The Nebbiolo is harvested by hand, traditionally around the beginning of October.
After destemming and crushing, fermentation takes place with approximately 12–14 days of skin contact at 26°C. Malolactic fermentation occurs in stainless steel, followed by bottling and at least six months of bottle maturation before release.
This restrained approach is important to the personality of Che Vale: rather than using extended oak maturation to create power and complexity, Marrone preserves the fresh fruit, perfume and natural elegance of Nebbiolo.
The 2024 vintage was unusual in Piedmont. Winter and spring brought more than 900 mm of rainfall, almost three times the amount recorded in the preceding 2022–23 period. A drier, sunnier summer followed, helping the grapes progress toward maturity before more variable conditions returned around harvest.
For Nebbiolo, Marrone reports that ripening proceeded well. The resulting wines generally possess slightly less power but greater elegance, freshness and accessibility, with polished tannins and attractive aromatic character.
That profile should suit Che Vale particularly well, since the wine is deliberately made as a youthful, vibrant interpretation of Nebbiolo rather than a heavily structured wine requiring years of cellaring.
Marrone “Che Vale” Langhe Nebbiolo 2024 offers a wonderful introduction to Nebbiolo and the wines of the Langhe.
It delivers many of the characteristics that make the grape so compelling—rose, violet, cherry, red berries, fresh acidity and fine tannins—in a softer and more immediately accessible style than Barolo or Barbaresco.
The elegant nature of the 2024 vintage should make this an especially attractive release: fragrant, fresh and polished, with enough Nebbiolo structure to remain distinctly Piedmontese while being ready to enjoy relatively young.
For customers curious about Barolo but looking for something more approachable in both style and price, Che Vale is an excellent place to begin.
2026–2031
This is primarily a wine to enjoy for its youthful perfume and freshness. Drink over the next several years while the cherry, raspberry, rose and violet characteristics remain vibrant.
Serve at approximately 16–18°C. A brief 20–30 minute decant can help the aromatics open when the wine is young.
The freshness and moderate tannic structure make Che Vale exceptionally versatile at the table.
It is excellent with veal, roast chicken, duck, pork, beef carpaccio, mushroom risotto and truffle pasta. Marrone itself recommends the wine with traditional Piedmontese dishes, red meats and aged cheeses.
For a particularly classic Piedmontese pairing, try it with tajarin with ragù, vitello tonnato or mushroom and truffle dishes.
PAIR WITH:
Veal · Roast Chicken · Duck · Tajarin · Mushroom Risotto · Truffle Pasta · Aged Cheese
