Michele Chiarlo Le Madri Roero Arneis (750ml)

This wine is 100% Arneis grown almost exclusively on sandy soil of marine origin mixed with other more recent fluvial soils and some chalk.  The grapes were softly-pressed, followed by 15 days of fermentation at 16-18°C and then rested for 3 months is steel tanks on the fine lees before bottling.  

Arneis is a native white Piemontese grape from the hills of Roero.  It has been cultivated in this area since the 15th century and was almost extinct in the 1960s but was thankfully brought back into the light by some dedicated producers.  The grape’s name recalls the vine’s difficult nature in the vineyard, as Arneis, in Piemontese dialect refers to a difficult personality.  Locals sometimes call Arneis “Nebbiolo Bianco”, which speaks to the historical significance of this white grape.