The great red grape of Northern Italy, which excels there, making the wines of both Barolo and Barbaresco. Nebbiolo is extremely fussy about where it will happily grow and ripen, flowering early and ripening late, producing high levels of sugar, acidity and tannins, making it a great challenge to harvest the fruit when ripe and the other components in balance. Nebbiolo is typically intensely aromatic, developing a bouquet of rose, violets, tar and truffles. On the palate, Nebbiolo wine is typically high in acidity and, until it has aged for many years in bottle, tannins. Nebbiolo wines age brilliantly, and the very best ones need at least ten years to show their best. Mainly unsuccessful elsewhere, Nebbiolo also now has a small foothold in California. So far, the wines are light and uncomplicated, bearing no resemblance to the Italian types.