Originally from Piobesi d’Alba, il viticoltore Diego Rivetti’s family roots lie in the sedimentary marine sand of MGA Bricco di Piobesi, perched overlooking the village, from where he draws his Roero Arneis ‘Criculin’ (crichet/cocuzzolo), planted in 2010; plus in 2023 he planted a plot of Roero Nebbiolo, also on il Bricco. In vintage 2022 Diego started making an anfora-fermented Vino Bianco Arneis from his other Piobesi plot across the valley, MGA Montiglione, planted in 2012/2014 on darker, iron-rich, peachy soils underlain with chalk (there’s a quarry nearby).
More recently, he’s teamed up up with his old friend e compagna di scuola Elena Strada of Serralunga d’Alba – a Milanese surgeon – to produce two Nebbiolos from the village. Elena & sister Irene’s nonno, Guido Massa, worked with Serralunga’s Cappellano family before creating his own cantina – G.Massa – with his wife Elda Viberti on the corner of piazza Cappellano, which they subsequently sold to Palladino in the 1970s.
Fortunately, they kept three pieces of prime vineyard land in which to plant Nebbiolo: a 0.2ha plot of vertiginous East-facing Broglio below the cantina, a NW facing parcel of clay-cool 0.8ha Damiano (to make Langhe Nebbiolo ‘Elda’), & a 0.5ha South/SW-facing fazzoletto on the spur of Vignarionda that had been planted up until 1981, then left fallow until Diego & Elena replanted it in 2018.
Skip forward to vintage 2024, as Diego releases all 2k bts of the inaugural vintage 2020 Barolo del comune di Serralunga d’Alba (from the Vignarionda spur), along with 2021 Langhe Nebbiolo ‘Elda’ (from Damiano fruit), 2023 Roero Arneis ‘Criculin’, Piobesi d’Alba, & 2022 Vino Biano Arneis Anfora.
The wines are classically made, using selected yeast, using static, vertical fermenting tanks; after MLF in stainless-steel, in vintage 2020 the affinamento of the Barolo was in third passage tonneaux (400L) for 30 mths, moving to 15HL Garbellotto botte grande from 2021, before being bottled without clarifying & only a light filtration.
Soaring above la città of Dogliani at 480-520m asl lies the comune of Pianezzo, with its pretty chiesa di San Martino. This is also where the Valletti family are to be found. On predominantly marnoso-calcareo soils they tend 6ha of Dolcetto, Nebbiolo, Barbera, Timorasso, & more recently Liseiret (Gouais Blanc!) vines. They also buy some Freisa from a nearby biologico vyd, with a view to planting it in future…
Now onto their 5th generation: youngest son Roberto (nato ’85) officially joined his father Giacinto & brother Mauro in 2011, having completed Viticultural & Enological studies in Alba & Torino. In più, Roberto brought with him invaluable experience gathered whilst working in Burgundy (Dme. Armand Rousseau), Australia (Torbrek), & California (Lambert Bridge). They had begun commercializing their wines in 1988, in 2017 they stopped using herbicides (& witnessed a leap in fruit expression & joy!), & then in 2018 they changed the bottle from Bordelais to Albeisa.
Roberto makes two cuvees of Dogliani DOCG: one ‘Pianezzo’ blends the fruit from three versanti (West, Est, Sud-Est) in stainless steel, while the oldest, 60 yo vines of Dolcetto located on the steep ‘San Martino’ east-facing slope go into making their top, griotte-like Dogliani Superiore ‘Vescu’, which may or may not see a passage in wood (tonneaux/botte grande). The wines are very lightly clarified & filtered.
They also make a stand-out Langhe Bianco from Timorasso planted on their limestone-rich soils, & in 2023 produced their first demi-jon of Liseiret (Gouais Blanc) with its rapier-like acidity!
Located high up in the comune of Monteu Roero, the Moretti family of Giovanni e Mirella, son Adriano & zio Elio, are proud custodians of 22ha of agriculture land, fruit (fragole!) & vegetables…including 5ha of vineyards, comprising Arneis, Favorita, Barbera, & Nebbiolo.
The family originate from Occhetti below, but then transferred up to Monteu Roero in the 1960s under the supervision of Giovanni’s madre Daria, whose nickname was ‘Bajaj’.
Since 2014, Giovanni’s son Adriano has taken taken responsibility for the cantina & production of their wines, which are made from Monteu Roero vyds, notably Bric Nota, San Vincenzo, & Gaiuccio, with Nebbiolo Roero DOCG & Langhe Nebbiolo being the focus. Indeed their first commercial bottling under the ‘BAJAJ’ label came in 2015.
Monteu Roero soils are a mix of sabbia d’asti & superiore argilla di Lugagnano clay. At Adriano’s side is enologo Manuele Priolo – la sua braccia destra – while since 2019, super-agronomo Edmondo Bonelli has been advising them.
The wines are vinified using wild yeast/pied de cuve in a variety of vessels: stainless-steel, anfora, barriques, with minimal use of copper/rame, & re-assuring levels of sulphur (c. 70 mg/L totale).
They adopt a ‘subtractive’ approach to winemaking; that is they avoid all that they consider unnecessary to making their wines:
Their approach is to be as natural & respectful as possible, not only for the environment but also for their own health & of those working alongside them.
> Without excess; without extremes. In essence: “in medio stat virtus” – La virtù sta nel mezzo – virtue lies in the middle (Aristotle)
The Caligaris family cantina is tucked away in the centre of Gattinara, Alto Piemonte. They can trace their lineage back to the 1500s, & almost certainly to i tempi Romani, as ‘la càliga‘ was a type of sandal worn by Roman (soldiers) garrisoned nearby.
Luca Caligaris is now making the wines at this tiny family estate, assisted by his father Alessandro & mamma Rita. Luca started in 1997, continuing the family tradition passed down from nonno Guido. Luca has a diploma in Perito Agraria, & has studied Viticoltura & Enologia. He is in the process of renovating the ancient family home & cantina.
The family has circa 2ha, of which 1ha is dedicated to growing Nebbiolo da Gattinara in the vineyards of Lurghe, Marzole, & Osso; the latter 350m asl high up among the trees, full south on almost bare porfido rock. The vineyard work is ‘lotte integrato’, doesn’t use herbicides, & the fruit from the vineyards are co-fermented together at the cantina. Luca’s Gattinara comprises 100% Nebbiolo, but in some years he may incorporate a tiny percentage of Uva Rara (up to 10% is allowed in the DOCG). While the wild-growing luppolo (hops) is reserved for the ‘frittate‘!
They produce five wines: Vino ‘Rosso di Sara’ (named after his daughter, a blend of Nebbiolo + Uva Rara, Neretto, Vespolina, & Croatina), DOC Coste della Sesia Rosa di Martina (after the second daughter, a Rosato), DOC Coste della Sesia Nebbiolo (85/90% Nebbiolo), DOCG Gattinara (100% Nebbiolo), DOCG Gattinara Riserva (in exceptional annate).
The wines are classically made, 100% destemmed, fermented in stainless-steel &/or fibre glass, with 3wk long pumping over macerations + delestaggio, MLF in wood, followed by 2 years affinamento in 15/25HL botti for Gattinara. Total sulphur is circa 70mg/Litro at bottling. The new Gattinara vintage is released from 1st October of the third year.
Compared to the porphory & white caolino soils of Bramaterra to the west, the hill of Gattinara appears as a single block of porfido overlooking the river Sesia below, rich with pyrite iron crystals, producing wines of structure & longevity.
Originally from the Monforte d’Alba borgata of Sant’Anna, in 1968 the Seghesio family sold their cascina & moved to the centre of town, to where the cantina is now located, becoming commercianti wine makers. For many years, Renzo was also Sindaco di Monforte d’Alba, accompanied by his wife Maria Gabriella Contratto, whose family were partly from Narzole – her father Carluccio a famous ‘sarto’/tailor – while her mother was a Monfortina.
They have two sons: Federico (nato ’76) & Raffaele (’78), who now assist their parents as they complete a restructuring of the family cantina nel cuore del centro storico, to provide more space for ageing & bottle storage. Federico, an aerospatial engineer previously worked for Westland/Leonardo in China & the Middle East, while Raffaele is a surgeon at the new Verduno hospital.
From 1986, Renzo Seghesio started to buy the fruit from Cascina Pajana, on the eastern side of the Monforte d’Alba comune, eventually buying the 7ha plot in 1996; a plot that includes 1.3ha of steep South East-facing, 30yo vigna Pajana at 350m asl on white Formazione di Lequio limestone soils (similar to Serralunga d’Alba) & 1.8ha of 25yo West-facing Ginestra on more classic Langhe soils of Marne Sant’Agata fossili. From the broader Ginestra MGA they also produce a Barolo del comune di Monforte d’Alba.
Beyond Monforte d’Alba, yet still in the Langhe, the family also owns a 0.6ha plot of South facing, 6yo vigna Bricco Chiesa on warm sandy marne soils in the frazione of Santa Maria di La Morra (for Langhe Nebbiolo); plus since 2021 they have begun renting an older vine 1ha plot in Roggeri nearby, that provides fruit for their Barolo del comune di La Morra.
And in the Roero they own a single, 4ha anfiteatro plot of vigna Sanchè, that runs parallel to Valmaggiore in the comune of Vezza d’Alba, on predominantly Sabbia d’Asti over marne soils, for both Nebbiolo d’Alba & Roero Arneis.
In cantina, the fratelli are supported by a young local enologo, Andrea Taricco, while since 2020 they have been advised by Roberto Valletti, another young enologist from Dogliani. The wines are classically made, in static stainless-steel vats, using selected yeast, pumping over & on occasions, submerged cap. Vintage 2020 was also the year in which they invested in a new Pellenc destalker, plus two new 32HL Stockinger botti, alongside older Garbellotto 30HL barrels. They also use tonneaux for the Nebbiolo d’Alba & Barbera d’Alba; their Langhe Nebbiolo sees 18mths in botte grande. Carlo Arnulfo consults in the vyd.
They bottle at circa 80mg of total sulphur, using Lafitte & Amorim corks for their Barolo wines, & DIAM5/10 beeswax for Roero Arneis, Nebbiolo d’Alba & Langhe Nebbiolo.
Descended from crusading ‘Hospitaller’ knights (Knights of St.John, of Malta) who settled on Sicily during the 13th century, the famiglia Spitaleri of Muglia (EN) can claim to be the first wine merchants of the medieval age, once Islamic prohibition had ceased. They then flourished during the italian Rinascimento.
But in 1852 it was Barone Felice Spitaleri who took the initiative on returning from a ‘Grand Tour’ of France, & deciding in 1855 to plant 300ha on Monte Etna – the feud – to Bordeaux varieties (& Pinot Nero!); ironically the year of Bordeaux’s Classed Growth Classification. Spitaleri commissioned Padre Francesco Tornabene to plant the vineyards, while the design of the imposing Castello di Solicchiata was entrusted to Andrea Scala, architect of Catania’s Bellini teatro.
The vineyards lie on an ancient 1107 lava flow – mineral rich, nutrient poor – facing SW at between 800m – 1400m asl.
The subsequent wines received a Grand Honour diploma at the 1888 London Exhibition, followed by Gold Medals in Palermo (1889), Vienna (1890), Berlin (1892), Brussels (1893), & Milano (1894). The Savoia Royal House of Italia appointed the cantina an official supplier, hence their coat of arms on the label of Castello Solicchiata.
Skip forward to 1997 when the then latest generation of Spitaleri, Barone Arnaldo, along with his enologist fratello Felice, employed the service of legendary consultant Giacomo Tachis to relaunch their wines to the market.
Tenute di Nuna is to be found in the village of Sant’Alfio, just outside the key Versante Est town of Milo, where Maria Novella (‘Nuna’) Trantino & Fabio Percolla from Catania bought first a 5ha parcel of land in 2006, planting it in rows/spalliera to Carricante for Etna Bianco in 2010. Their first harvest & bottling being in 2015. In 2017 they then bought a second, smaller plot of 1ha in the comune of Milo with which to produce their first Etna Bianco Superiore in 2020 from higher density/smaller space of alberello vines, located in the heart of the lava flow, on a bed of lapilli/ash pebbles. Hence the name of the property: Tenute di Nuna.
The vines lie at c.880m asl, on a 1971 lava flow, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, but with Mte. Etna looming up above the property. While the couple restructure the property, since 2018 the wines have been made close to the vineyards in the comune of Trecastagni, with the help of a young Sicilian winemaker Benedetto Alessandro, of Camporeale. Cultivation of the vines is organic.
High up in the comune of Milo, THE cru of the Versante est for whites with strong marine influence; the capital of Carricante, you could say. Nuna is the nickname for Novella whose mother had bought the property in Sant’Alfio, now under renovation – the sala di degustazione with sea views is covered in coccio pesto the incredibly long lasting cement used by the Romans to build aquaducts and sewers in Rome and also used to construct the local palmenti.
Beautiful views over to the sea, and a crisp breeze which brought rain which falls so typically here (nb find a map showing the funnel). Despite the high rainfall, the wines stay concentrated due to the free draining volcanic soils. Interestingly Fabio said there is a climate change especially in rainfall, with much less in September and October. A huge grey rocky lava flow separates their vineyards in Sant’Alfio, planted in rows/spalliera where they make their Etna Bianco DOC, while just on the other side they purchased their 1ha in the comune of Milo proper where the wine can be called Etna Bianco Superiore. We were served a charming array of Sicilian delizie, inc. candied orange peel and almond biscotti, and Fabio was happy to open other vintages for us, but we couldn’t taste from tank.
They make only two white wines but are considering making some sparkling. As for reds, Fabio believes that Milo & environs are not suited to Nerello Mascalese which would struggle to ripen.
Pierangelo & his wife Elisa, along with their children Gaia, Niccolò, & Mathilde, own 10 hectares of vineyard Boiolo right in the heart of the La Morra versante, in the borgata of Boiolo.
But the story began in 1898, sempre in Boiolo, with the birth of Pietro Bosco to Constanzo e Margherita. In 1948 the family replanted the vineyards, & in 1968 Pietro’s son Costanzo expanded the domaine to 3ha. And then it was Pierangelo’s turn (son of Costanzo!), who from 1994 enlarged their smallholding to 8ha, renovating the old cascina, & in 2004 beginning to bottle a small percentage of their fruit/c. 2,500 bts of Barolo Boiolo.
Skip forward to 2018 when Pierangelo & his wife Elisa were (officially) joined at the cascina by their eldest daughter Gaia, who attended Alba’s Umberto 1 Wine School from 2006-12, before gaining valuable experience working alongside other Barolo producers both in La Morra & Serralunga d’Alba.
Their approach is classical, both in the vineyards & cantina, which lies in the centre of their 10 hectare plot; a magnificent old gelso/mulberry tree stands guard in front of the house/cantina overlooking their vines. Gaia likes to ferment their Nebbiolo da Barolo in stainless-steel using wild yeasts, just pumping over for a month on the skins, no cappello sommerso/submerged cap, the age them in 25HL botti grande (Garbellotto & new Klaus Pauscha) for two years, bottling the wines without clarification & only a light, cautionary filtration. They make Barolo Boiolo from c. 20 year old vines, & in some years a Riserva Boiolo from a prized plot of up to 70 yo vines, that sees 60 days maceration.
They make a fine Nebbiolo d’Alba from vines in the Roero comune of Santa Vittoria, & in vintage 2021 Gaia made a pulsating 100% whole bunch Langhe Nebbiolo! And in 2022 she vinified a small quantity of dry Langhe Bianco from a tiny plot of Viognier high up in the Alta Langa comune of Albaretto della Torre.
The Boiolo MGA sits between Rocche dell’Annunziata & Brunate, & their vineyards lie at the heart of the MGA at between 350 & 400m asl on benchmark La Morra laminated calc clay soils rich in manganese over marne Sant’Agata fossili bedrock, facing ESE, giving full, structured, fleshy wines with good acidity. Their vines are perched above the borgata of Torriglione & run adjacent to the confini/border with Rocche dell’Annunziata.
Thirty minutes drive south from Goče in the Valle di Vipava to Kreplje – Sloveno for ‘Pietra’! – which lies in the (larger) Slovenian part of the Kras/Carso region some 8 kms just behind Trieste, on 80 million yo ancient (older than Burgundy, Langhe, & Vipava!) leached terra rossa clay/marne/fossilised soils over cretaceous limestone – think Puglia or Coonawarra even! – that’s influenced by the golfo di Trieste, but also refreshed/battered by the NE Bora wind…is found the tiny 3.5ha cantina of Marko Tavčar (pronounced Taucher) at Az. Agr. Pietra!
The boutique domaine features an historical, 18th century cortile, constructed to shield the occupants from the Bora wine, which is where Marko, a former cuoco/chef until 2008, now ‘cooks up’ three grape expressions of his Kras/Carso region: Malvazija/Malvasia Istriana, Vitovska, & Teran/Terrano (a relative of Refosco del Peduncolo Rosso)
Bianchi are vinified in mastelli/tubs for 3 days on the skins (with light extraction), & then kept on their (reductive) lees in cement so as to minmise the amount of sulphur needed (c. 30 totale), with both wines undergoing MLF, while the Rosso sees some botte grande, & bottled unfiltered.
Better known for the quality of his family’s oranges & olive oil, an activity founded by his father ‘Don Peppino’, Roberto Tindaro Abbate of Motta Camastra near Taormina, turned to tending the vine in 2012, thanks to inheriting a 1 hectare parcel in the Castiglione di Sicilia contrada of Feudo di Mezzo located in the prized versante nord village of Passopisciaro, at 650m asl. What’s more, the parcel is mainly made up of 80 year-old Nerello Mascalese & Cappuccio, making only c.1500 bts of Etna Rosso, but he also makes a few bts of Etna Bianco from Minella Bianco, & Grecanico vines dotted round the vineyard, while the Carricante comes from Fleri near Zafferana on the versante Est. In piu, he also makes a few bts. of Etna Rosato!
Yet Roberto’s passion for the vine is in part thanks to his much older fratello Enzo, who got to know the Barolista Giuseppe Rinaldi when working in Cuneo back in 1975 (when Roberto had but two years old!). This passion was saited when Roberto began making some wine in 2005 for family & friends.
Indeed he maintains: “il miglior abbinamento ad un vino è la persone con cui lo condividi.” (“the perfect match for wine is the person with whom you share it.” Roberto Abbate)
Vinification currently takes place just down the road in Passopisciaro, at the cantina of his friend Giuseppe (Girolamo) Russo, who suggested that Roberto take his hobby more seriously.
Wines are expressive, artigianale & not overstated, wild yeast fermented, hand-punched down (il Rosso) in small mastelli/tubs, ambient temperature ferments (even for il bianco) & would appeal to Burgundy lovers. Roberto seems to be a perfectionist, both in terms of presentation – taking time to decide on the label which incorporates Dante’s Inferno & Etna’s vine roots – & in the way he appraoches both vineyard management & wine making.
He concludes: “Il vino è condivisione e dentro ad ogni calice troveremo sempre una storia da raccontare, e questa è la mia.” (Wine is about sharing, & in each glass we will find a story to tell, & this is mine.” (Roberto Abbate)