Podere Ruggeri Corsini, Langhe Nebbiolo DOC (Piedmont, Italy) 2020

 This house makes very fine Barolo and marvelous old-vine Barbera as well, but this Langhe Nebbiolo merits attention too, as it offers an accessible, food-friendly and affordable take on one of the world’s best grape varieties in a style that doesn’t require a cellar or a trust fund.  The aromas show nice florality (violets, as usual for Nebbiolo), followed by delicious flavors of red raspberries and cherries that are juicy and but not obviously fruity, with fine acidity and some light bracing from grape tannins but no evident wood at all (though some older barrels might have been employed for aging, though definitely not for flavoring).  This is a category that deserves to be more widely known and utilized for more relaxed enjoyment by mere mortals who can’t afford Barbaresco or Barolo on a regular basis.