Drinking Nebbiolo with Alexander, Hannibal, and Caesar

A meditation on leadership, fate, and a wine that rewards those who choose their own path.

Giuseppe Parussa Roero Nebbiolo 2022

Varieties: Nebbiolo

Region: Roero, Piedmont, Italy

Producer: Giuseppe Parussa

Costs: $20-$30

Missive: Drinking Nebbiolo with Alexander, Hannibal, and Caesar

There is a story behind every glass of wine. Wines convey a variety of emotions for a variety of reasons. Maybe you already have a personal attachment to the region or producer of said bottle, maybe you don’t. Maybe you go out of your way to open a bottle in the hopes of establishing that relationship. Not every special moment needs to be held in a tasting room overlooking rolling hills at sunset. Sometimes you open a bottle of wine after eating homemade tuna melts, and you forge your own destiny.

The belle of the ball.

Forge my own destiny, I shall. I have this unforeseen courage brought on by Nebbiolo. The nectar of kings pulses through my veins. There is a specific harmony that comes along with a good example of a Nebbiolo wine. You get beautiful ripe fruit, dried herbs, and an oxidative component that rounds out the whole thing. The layers of this wine, at this price point and with little time in bottle, are simply astounding. This Roero Nebbiolo drinks like a fully fleshed-out Barolo at less than half the price point. The oxidation really comes through on this wine, in a good way. You get all of the juicy red fruit you could want from a young Nebbiolo, plus a significant amount of secondary and tertiary aromas.

The fruit really shoots forth from the glass. Intense muddled raspberries, squeezed blood oranges, and ripe cherries are just the beginning. Let me do a quick thought exercise. The biggest difference I notice between Nebbiolo-based wines and Sangiovese-based wines, especially those from Montalcino, is that the red fruit/cherry component is much darker with Tuscan wines.

With this Roero Nebbiolo, for example, you get a beautiful red cherry component alongside some dried floral notes. Just imagine you mince up those roses that have been sitting on your windowsill from Valentine’s Day and sprinkle them over fresh cherries. In contrast, I have noticed that a Rosso di Montalcino wine often has a much deeper, richer dark-cherry component, typically alongside a more pronounced balsamic note. We are just splitting hairs here, folks, but it is fun to highlight the differences between my two favorite wine regions.

However, let us get back to this specific Roero Nebbiolo from Giuseppe Parussa. I simply wanted to highlight that the fruit component is there, and I ended up going down a rabbit hole. After the ripe fruit of the Nebbiolo rears its beautiful head, we move on to the other stuff. You know, the secondary and tertiary stuff that moves a wine into that A, A+, or S level status. The fruit subtly gives way to dried lavender, rose petals, and a dash of baking spice.

My two compadres for the evening as I forge my destiny.

There is nothing really heavy or overbearing with this wine. Everything comes in from stage left gracefully, with ease, and without overwhelming the consumer. One thing leads to another. It’s like when you see those dancers who move in a way where they appear to be floating. You say to yourself: “How do they do that?” Well, that is my impression of this wine. I am not sure how it manages all of the above, but it seems to be doing so exceptionally well.

I did say that I would forge my own destiny with this wine. This is the wine of kings, and you simply cannot drink it without looking ahead to further goals. It’s been a week to say the least, folks. Sometimes you have to give yourself a long, hard look in the mirror. Take stock of your life. What do you have to be thankful for, who can you count on, and what is the next step? Those things are all connected. I am reading Masters of Command by Barry Strauss, and he touches on all of these points. You cannot be a master of strategy if you are blind to simple things like who is in your corner versus who is undermining you, whether intentionally or not.

Pairing ideas? Let’s talk about a book on strategy alongside a stunning Nebbiolo.

Darius of Persia, compared to Alexander of Macedon, embodies the lesser of these strategic points. Or, how about the shifting loyalties during the Roman civil war of Caesar versus Pompey? A man must keep his head on a swivel, or he runs the risk of losing said head! Whether you like it or not, human nature is one constant throughout history. Therefore, it is present in the modern day as well, only to be recognized explicitly by later generations. Betrayal, insubordination, and unchecked aspirations are all eternal markers of man.

Think about something as eternal as the expansion of borders. Empires, civilizations, and groups throughout history all seek to expand their borders. Alexander the Great crossed the Hellespont, tossed a spear into the ground, and vowed to take revenge on the Persian Empire. He basically said to Darius, “Western Anatolia is mine, by right, and what are you going to do about it?” What was his real goal? Well, certain strategic advancements, yes. BUT, far more important to Alexander was conquering what came to be most of the known world. Flash-forward two-thousand and three hundred odd years. Take a world leader like Vladimir Putin. What has dominated headlines for the last four years? The Russian invasion of Ukraine. Again, a lot of ‘reasons’ were given, but at the end of the day, we are really talking about an overt border expansion. These things seem to be eternal, folks. Uncontrolled ambition combined with the nastier parts of human nature can yield some troubling results.

Let’s get back to Alexander the Great. I drink this baby wine of kings, a young Nebbiolo, and I feel as though I should be donning the color purple to honor my namesake. Yes, my name is an homage to the world-renowned Macedonian general and leader. It is definitely NOT because my mom was going to name me Matthew, got sick of the name, and settled on Alexander when she ultimately popped me out. Maybe I just seemed like an Alexander. Well, perhaps she saw the Macedonian reincarnated. I am assuming my parents reached out to a soothsayer, consulted the stars, and got a read on my future. I have been named accordingly.

What did the stars say? That the young boy would ultimately blossom into a man who would appreciate Italian red wines above all? I am assuming that character trait was at least mentioned. However, besides the wine stuff, I would like to leave the majority of my story unwritten. Indeed, I recently thought I had a large part of my life written out, but it ultimately didn’t materialize, so I have betrayed myself. I have forsaken myself! Seriously, folks, I may be laughing about it now with this Nebbiolo in hand, but it doesn’t change the fact that it has happened.

One of my favorite parts of Single & Single by John le Carré is when Oliver remarks that they are back in Liverpool on day one. Their backs are against the wall, and they must forge the path forward. Oliver is a young man around my age, and he finds himself at a turning point in his life. Where does he go from here? Heck, where do I go from here? Well, while the fate of Oliver has been all but decided by the iconic le Carré, mine is more up in the air. While I do not feel the need to rush anything, it has become clear that change is afoot. Again, the Nebbiolo has given me perspective.

I yearn for perspective! Photo credit goes to the mom.

I yearn for perspective. That’s why I find myself going back to books related to history, written by authors like Barry Strauss and James Romm. The authors provide such a balanced perspective on these historical figures. The good and the bad, the famous battles alongside the insignificant skirmishes. I am coming off a season of unsuccessful campaigns myself. Yet, like Alexander the Great in Egypt, I shall regroup. I will consult the oracles at Siwa, provision my troops, and forge a path forward. There is nothing else to do in this world. Sympathy will not be found here. A fantastic glass of wine from Piedmont? Absolutely, you will find that in spades. Never-ending sympathy for situations that every human encounters in their life? No, you will not receive that sympathy here. Grab a Nebbiolo, indulge in the wine of kings, and go consult the oracles. It’s an essential turning point in every person’s life.