At a time when wine lovers are more prudent than ever regarding their spending, Piemonte might have the antidote. We recently had the pleasure of visiting and tasting with each of our growers, old and new. Putting the coveted Barolo and Barbaresco to one side, we were particularly excited by the quality of the current and future release of our grower’s ‘little ones’, as Franco Massolino affectionately call his Barbera, Dolcetto et al. (Not to mention a little self-congratulatory with just how many great-value gems we have in our Piemonte portfolio). Massolino’s little ones have never been in better form, and we asked Franco to tell us how his Barbera and Dolcetto, in particular, continued to scale new heights (from an admittedly strong base). First, he explained the importance of these varieties as the domaine’s calling cards—a Piemonte producer lives and dies by the quality of its Dolcetto!—so it was vital to take these wines as seriously as they do their Barolo or Barbaresco. Then, he credits the relatively recent purchase of the Cascina I Maschi vineyard in Monforte d’Alba, whose fruit now wraps depth and flesh around these wines’ chalky Serralunga spine. The sum is, indeed, more significant than the individual parts. Across the Langhe hills, the Rocca family is another to prove Piemonte has so much to offer beyond the most highly coveted appellations. Daniella Rocca and her family have found another gear of late. Developments in the vineyard mean they are harvesting more pristine grapes than ever before, and the move towards ever-gentler and less-obtrusive winemaking shines through in the wines’ purity of fruit and sense of place. Naturally, the quality of the vintages in play has also played a vital role. 2021 was an absolute triumph throughout the region, delivering gorgeously aromatic, vibrant and refreshing wines across the board, while the warmer ’22 vintage has bestowed the kind of lip-smacking succulence and lacy, old-world soul that makes the wines so food-friendly (and hard-to-stop drinking).