Piemonte Region

Fast facts: over 130,000 vineyard acres, 68/32 red wine grapes vs. white. Key white grape varietals are: Arneis,
Cortese, Erbaluce, Moscato, and Chardonnay. Key red grape varietals are: Barbera, Brachetto, Dolcetto, Nebbiolo,
Freisa, Ruche, and Grignolino.

Cougar's Arneis is clone FPS02 aka VCR02 on rootstock 110R.

Arneis - "Are-NAYS"

Arneis is a light-to-medium-bodied white.

An ancient variety grown near Alba in Piemonte (northwest Italy). Recently saved from extinction by a few notable
Barolo (Nebbiolo) producers. Arneis is sometimes referred to as Barolo Bianco although never labeled as such.
Difficult to grow, "Arneis" in the regional dialect means "little rascal."

Delicate aromas and flavors of pears, with a hint of almonds. The grape seems to possess more acidity in California
than in Italy, yielding a crisper wine with a more lingering finish.

Cougar's Lambrusca di Alessandria is on rootstock 110R. To our knowledge Cougar is the only commercial wine grower of this grape in the United States.

Lambrusca di Alessandria

Lambrusca di Alessandria is a rare red grape varietal.

Lambrusca di Alessandria is not related to Lambrusco despite a similar name. This grape comes from the provinces of Alessandria, Asti, Cuneo and Torinois. Typically the wine is blended with Barbera, Dolcetto, Freisa and Bonarda. Some producers have been known to make a wonderful rosso wine from the grape. The grape has been around for centuries and may be the grape named "Porcina" in the writings of Petrus de Crescentiis.

Big, bold, inky and flavorful wines have been produced from the grapes we have purchased from Guadulupe Valley Baja Mexico. We expect the same from our estate Lambrusca di Alessandria.

Cougar's Brachetto clone is on rootstock 110R. To our knowledge Cougar is the only commercial wine grower of this grape in the United States.

Brachetto - "Brah-ke-toe"

Brachetto is a red Italian wine grape variety grown predominately in the Piedmont region of northwest Italy. At one
time the grape was thought to be related to the French wine grape Braquet, but recent thought among
ampelographers is that the two are distinct varieties. In Italy’s region of Piedmont the grape is somewhat more
widespread: production mostly falling within an area of the provinces of Asti and Alessandria between the rivers
Bormida and Belbo plus various parts of the province of Cuneo. At Canelli, on the border between the hills of Asti and
the Lange proper, the grape is known as Borgogna. The most notable wine here is the red Brachetto Denominazione
di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG) which is made in both still and spumante (fully sparkling) versions. The
Piemonte Brachetto Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC), also a red wine, is made with a minimum of 85% Brachetto; it is usually still, but may be frizzante (lightly sparkling). The grape is also used for up to 10% of the blend
for the Ruché-based Ruché di Castagnole Monferrato DOC.