Arneis from clay and limestone in Neive, made entirely in steel. Citrus and white peach, a taut finish and a bitter-almond twist — the classic white of the Langhe, and the asparagus wine par excellence.
Pale straw yellow with a light sheen. The nose is fresh and direct: citrus peel, white peach and green apple, with a floral note of hawthorn behind and a hint of almond. The palate is dry and taut, the acidity giving the attack immediate direction and the middle staying light in build. Halfway through a chalky, almost saline touch arrives that traces back to the clay-and-limestone soil. The finish is medium in length and closes with the bitter-almond twist that belongs to this grape. Serve at 8 to 10 degrees. With asparagus this is one of the few pairings that truly works by itself.
Cantina Francone has worked out of Neive, in the heart of Barbaresco, since 1892. Five generations on, Marco and Fabrizio Francone run the family estate, whose reputation rests above all on the Gallina hill: a south-facing cru listed on Renato Ratti's historic map of Barbaresco crus.
The Arneis grows in Neive, on the right bank of the Tanaro. The soil there mixes clay and limestone, and the difference shows in the glass: the limestone gives the wine its freshness and taut line, the clay keeps it upright.
Picking is by hand in the second half of September, late enough for ripe fruit and early enough to keep the acidity — with this grape a narrow margin.
Then slow, gentle pressing, gradual fermentation at 16 degrees and a short maturation in stainless steel. The wine is bottled young, because everything that matters here is already there.
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