Nebbiolo has that elusive combination of irresistible perfume, moderate body regardless of alcohol and immense structure that is jet fuel for longevity – a quality that historically limited its appeal to just those who were willing to wait. The whole (now thoroughly passé) modernist/traditionalist debate was, after all, about whether to use tools like barriques and roto-fermenters (plus dramatically reduced yields) to boost drinkability or stick to the ‘old ways’ and cross your fingers for 10+ years.

Read more: The Barolo and Barbaresco Report

However, the days of winemakers and collectors blindly accepting this quandary of either/or are long gone. The tools of today are generally subtler (for one thing, nobody is using any chainsaws): most maturation regimens incorporate a plethora of vessel sizes and materials; some ‘high modernist’ tools remain but with vital modifications; some imported techniques are adapted to fortify fruit and temper tannins, but rarely adopted whole cloth.

Though Slavonian botti have prevailed, barriques frequently still appear shortly after fermentation for an edifying early dose of oxygen: Marchesy di Gresy’s wines spend a year in barriques before heading to botti then cement. These botti are typically neutral – Gianni Gagliardo’s are 10-12 years old, providing gentle oxygenation without vanilla spice. Guided by the revered Roberto Conterno, those who can afford them have invested in low-toast (but not neutral) Austrian Stockinger vats, at least for certain crus. Elisa Scavino of Paolo Scavino says she finds them too potent for their La Morra sites, preferring them for more muscular wines from Serravallian soils. Elsewhere (Giacosa Fratelli, Scarpa), a similar combination of gentle oxygenation and aromatic seasoning is achieved with large-format French oak. For oxygen without aroma, Scavino is experimenting with clay eggs, which she says sit somewhere between steel and oak.

Roto-fermenters, derided as ‘cement mixers’ by detractors during their mid-2000s heyday, seemed destined for extinction when the tide turned against modernism. However, in recent years, a handful of producers – among them Cavallotto and their original advocate Paolo Scavino – use them on very slow rotation cycles for an ultra-gentle modified ‘cappello sommerso’ (submerged cap).

The cappello sommerso itself is very much the technique du jour, though few employ the old-school wooden planks on wooden fermenters favoured at Roagna. One variation is Enrico Scavino’s (Scavino) proprietary open-top tank with metal mesh for a ‘sandwich’ of liquid around the cap. Azelia’s Barolos spend 50 days with the cap submerged in tall, narrow steel tanks with only light pumping-over for a ‘gentle infusion.’ A shorter submersion (30 days at Ca’Viola) can produce an even airier effect.

Then there is the question of whole berry (more common) and whole bunch (more controversial) fermentation, the latter apt to produce convulsions in many producers even 10 years ago. The sweet fruitiness from whole berries more obviously aids early appeal, as seen in Fontanafredda’s Paiagallo. Meanwhile, whole bunch advocates like the natural-leaning Principiano or Burlotto (whose Monvigliero wine has seen wild success), have helped normalise the inclusion of stems within the fermentation process. At Gaja, a moderate level of stems is used in Barbaresco and Barolo when sufficiently ripe, favoured for the savouriness and tension they bring to the wine. They can also help absorb alcohol.

Finally, standing alone for his experimentalism is Marco Parusso (Parusso) with his unique technique of ‘ripening’ whole bunches off the vine, permitting their use without fear of greenness. The lees stirring he employs (pictured: lead image) for a sensuously slippery texture has been somewhat more widely adopted, helping reduce the friction of burly, youthful tannins where these still exist.

These shifts are partly generational – the flourishing of young winemakers like Elisa Scavino at Paolo Scavino or her cousin Lorenzo Scavino at Azelia has brought an inevitable palate adjustment – however it is not a hard turn. Nobody is going back to making those Lynxes (maybe the climate wouldn’t allow it anyway). There is an underlying respect here for what the previous generation achieved and a desire to progress rather than look exclusively backward for answers.