Cascina Val del Prete 'Luèt' 2023 Roero Arneis

750ml bottle

13.5% abv

The name “Luet” translates to little wolf in the Piemonte dialect, and this one has no shortage of power. Thirty percent of the gently pressed juice sees two plus days of skin contact, adding heft to the already sturdy frame of wild herbs and salty acidity. It drinks a lot like an Etna Bianco, with pithy grapefruit, loquat, sandy minerality, and floral accents. A bold and intense wine that mirrors the Nebbiolo of the region. 

Certified organic and biodynamic

Val del Prete means "Valley of the Priest" after the exiled Bishop of Asti who lived in the area in 1850 amongst the rolling hills of Roero in the northwestern edge of the province of Cuneo near Alba.

Bartolomeo Roagna and his wife, Carolina, purchased their 'Cascina' or farmhouse and surrounding farm in 1977. Unlike their contemporaries who left the country in search of higher paying jobs in the city, the Roagnas preferred to stay on the land they were so passionate about. They also saw its great potential for growing wine grapes and proceeded to replace some of the wheat fields and fruit trees with grape vines. The total vineyard area has increased over the years to 13 hectares planted to Nebbiolo, Barbera, and Arneis. They form a natural amphitheater that reaches up to 850 feet above sea level.

Contrary to Roero's typically sandy soils, Val del Prete has a fair amount of clay and marl, which is more commonly found across the river in Barbaresco. The Roagna's son, Mario, has taken over the farming, which is certified organic and biodynamic, and has been lauded as one of the key winemakers in Roero, leading the drive toward higher quality wines approaching the level of its more famous neighbors.