A unique wine - made exclusively from Nebbiolo, it offers red cherry, strawberry and aniseed, with some spicier, richer notes from the lees ageing. It's earthy and complex, but floral and sweet fruited. It's delicate but has oomph. Herby, long and complex. Quite a wine. Needs food.

Giuseppe Traversa is one of the unsung heroes of the traditionalist wine movement in Piedmont. Like other, more storied names, like Roagna and Mascarello, they produce wines as they were made decades ago, with no deference to modernity or convenience. The wines are made to a style, and that style is unchanging. There's no new wood used, everything is done by hand, and the wines take time to ferment and harmonise. The results are stunning - savoury, balanced wines that carry the true flavours of the region and variety. Yet to call these wines old fashioned would be to miss out on the sheer drinkability of them as well. Of course Nebbiolo is revered here, but its sometimes made as a rosé, sometimes as a sparkling! Even the long barrel-aged wines are seductive, with equal parts fruit, tannin and dirt. This is a special estate - somewhat under the radar, but all the better for it we reckon.