Az. Agr. Cristian Boffa di Alessandria Marilena

The Boffa family – Stefano, Marilena, Cristian & Miriam – is hidden away in the La Morra borgata of Alessandria, Santa Maria. They tend 5ha close to the cantina, notably the Nebbiolo da Barolo vigne of Bricco Chiesa, Santa Maria, Galina & Capalot, on clay-rich marne sant-agata fossili soils at between 250-300m asl, averaging 35 years old, & facing mainly East. They also own a small plot in Serralunga d’Alba’s cru Meriame, plus they’ve started renting vines in Monforte’s Bricco San Pietro.

Marilena Alessandria, Cristian’s mother, is from Santa Maria, & owns the vineyards of Santa Maria, Capalot, & Serralunga’s Meriame. Indeed her father Giacomo once owned a cantina in Santa Maria itself, called Az. Agr. Martinat.

The Boffas came from Mango. In the 1940s, Stefano’s nonno Filippo uprooted & brought all eight of his children to Santa Maria, to live & work as a mezzadro at Tenuta Para, for Il Colonnello Comin, a Venetian who’d married a wealthy local landlady, Signora Vergiati. In 1954 Stefano’s father Pietro married local girl, Giuseppina Borgogno, who along with her two sorelle owned vines in Santa Maria. Upon marriage, the Borgogno ladies sold the family house & Giuseppina (& Pietro Boffa) inherited the vineyards of Bricco Chiesa, Galina & Bettolotti.

Stefano Boffa worked forty years for ‘Monsù’ Luigi Oddero (always wearing a tie, even when pruning his peach trees or playing cards), as well as selling him his fruit & wine up until vintage 2012. His son Cristian (nato ’86) served his apprenticeship under Luigi Oddero at Tenuta Para, working at the cantina soon after the Oddero split in 2006/07. Cristian attended the Umberto 1 Enological School in Alba, while his sorella Miriam is a qualified cuoca, & helps the family in the vineyards too.

Vinification of the Barolos is traditional, fermented in stainless steel, followed by affinamento in slavonian oak botte grande (Garbellotto & Gamba 25, 30, & 38HL). The Barolo del comune di La Morra is a blend of fruit from all four of their Santa Maria vineyards. Their first labeled Barolo was made in 2014, all 500 bottles. They also make a Dolcetto, Barbera, & Langhe Nebbiolo.