2020 Sori Della Sorba Solo per Amore Langhe Rosso 750 ml

We drove up the hills of Diano d’Alba in a thick fog—the nebbia from which the region’s most revered grape takes its name. Searching for a tiny three-hectare estate surrounded by forest, we could barely tell whether we were in the right place, until Giovanna Bagnasco emerged from the mist, followed by her husband, Carlo Mondavi.

Within minutes, we were tramping through the vineyard, forging a path in the clay-heavy mud, half of which seemed to stick to our shoes and Giovanna and Carlo’s Blundstones. Navigating the steep slope between rows of vines, Carlo pointed out a broad, flattened smear in the mud—evidence of a wild boar that had visited the night before. Then he gestured down the hill to where the beasts dig up white truffles.

Located in an amphitheater just outside of the Barolo zone, Sori della Sorba is a magical place, and after we were chilled by the vineyard tour, we retreated to the tasting room. In this bare-bones space—which contains a table and chairs, glassware, espresso machine (of course), and little else—we reveled in the magic that Sori della Sorba delivers in the bottle.

The first wine we tasted was their Solo per Amore. Named “For the Love of It,” it’s a gorgeous expression that contains 40% stately Nebbiolo—the grape that makes up the coveted collector wines of Barolo and Barbaresco—and 60% fruity, palate-pleasing Dolcetto. Farmed organically and biodynamically, fermented 80% whole-cluster and aged in large Slavonian oak vats, it’s a bright ruby wine with buoyancy and seriousness—absolutely perfect for drinking by the fire on a cold, foggy night, or for pairing with pizza, braised meat, or rich pasta.