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)
Perched high above the Langhe in the village of Roddino, just across the border from Serralunga d’Alba, the Cassino family farm, Cascina Castella, owns 4.5ha of vineyards in the comune of Roddino & in Sinio. They grow Dolcetto, Barbera, Nebbiolo & Rossese Bianco. In the 1990s, papa Silvio Cassino started to commercialise their wines, but it wasn’t until his two daughters, Elena (nata ’91) & Monica (’94) graduated from Alba’s Liceo Linguistico ‘Leonardo da Vinci’ that things became more serious…
Upon graduation in 2014 Monica decided to expand her horizons & move to Germany, a step that led her to enrol at the prestigious Hochschule Geisenheim University in 2015 where she studied enologia & viticultura. Graduating in 2019 she returned to the family cantina & teamed up with her sister Elena. Vintage 2021 was their debutto year together, which coincidentally saw the release of their first Langhe Nebbiolo; in the same year they began work renovating the family’s splendid cascina.
The family has always prided itself in being guardians of the rare Rossese Bianco grape, a grape with Ligurian roots, that is found in the comunes of Sinio, Roddino, & Monforte d’Alba, of which they produce c.2k bts/anno. The Nebbiolo comes from a wonderful borgata in Sinio, called Bricco del Gallo, 500m asl high up & SW facing, on marne, limestone & arenarie soils, giving high toned wines not dissimilar to those of Serralunga d’Alba directly in front! And in the cuore of this borgata is found ‘La Castella’, a mini-hamlet of houses built & inhabited by Elena & Monica’s grandfather until he passed away in 2011. Plus they have some deliciously furry old vine Dolcetto!
The released their inaugural Barolo of vintage 2019, sourced from a supplier high up in the Monforte d’Alba MGA/cru of Perno!
Class of 1970, Alessio Magi wasn’t actually born in the Valtellina but in Milano, moving to Lombardia with his parents at the age of ten; his madre being Swiss. Initially he worked for Coldiretti until 2000, then joined the Fondazione Fojanini where he helped small vignaioli get off the ground, both in the vigna & cantina, at a time when small artisan producers were just emerging in the valley. In 2004 he headed off to New Zealand, working for a large Marlborough producer for a couple of years, before moving back to the northern hemisphere, to the Bordeaux satellite of Castillon de la Bataille. Between 2008 & 2010 he worked closer to home, at a local Swiss producer of biodynamic wine. In 2010 he took the step of building a new cantina in Teglio, in the heart of the Valgella cru/zone, & began hunting round for some vines to ‘rent’, which he did without having to pay a penny – la sistema ‘accommodato‘! His first vintage of Valtellina Superiore was in 2011, all 2.6k bts.
He looks after c. 1.5ha of vines in the Valgella zone, located in two complementary plots: one facing South in the frazione of Ravoledo at c.400m as, & the other just round the corner/ridge facing East above in the fraz. of Spina at 550m asl. The vineyards are up to 90 years in age, although plants are replaced as they die, so some are as new as three years old. They are comprised of Chiavennasca (Nebbiolo), as well as some 10% of Pignola & Rossola, both of which are prized for their good acidity. Alessio likens the profile of the Valgella vineyard to that of Grumello, insofar that there’s quite good depth of soil on the steep terraces. Situated furthest from the warming influence of lago di Lecco/Como, the cru/zone of Valgella sits at the eastern, coolest end of the Valtellina; Valgella derives from the latin ‘vallicellum’ or small valley, probably due to the tapering of the valley.
In his cave under the family agriturismo, hewn out of the rock, Alessio makes classic Valtellina Superiore: following a mid to late October harvest, spontaneous fermentations & macerations – including whole bunch – of up to a month in stainless steel along with MLF idealmente, & then affinamento for c.24 mths in 10HL slavonian oak botte bought in 2011 & 2018; pressed wine is generally added back in, so as to fill the botti!
Vintage 2019 was bottled during the first week of November 2022: 13.65% abv, 5.46 g/L Total Acidity, 0.74 g/L Volatile Acidity, 0.6 RS, 3.49 pH, 26mg/L Total Sulphur.
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.
From the classica zone of Valpolicella, high up in the comune of Marano di Valpolicella at circa 350m asl on ancient Eocenic sedimentary limestone, sandstone & red volcanic basalt soils, is found the tiny 3ha CàMatta estate belonging to Alessandro Lonardi.
Schooled as an agronomist, with a passion for Recioto, Alessandro is the first generation to bottle his family’s fruit, having working alongside his nonni since 2007; these days he’s helped by his compagna Susan & son James. He released his first label in vintage 2012, converting the vineyards to organic in 2016 (certified in 2019). He works only with pergola veronese (offering protection from the sun, hail, & deer!), & is fortunate to own vineyards dating back to 1964, along with more recent plantings in 1987 & 2015. He tends eight vineyards in total, all in Marano, notably in the crus of Tenda (exposed & warmer) & Purano, cooler thanks to being higher up. One of his prized local varieties for making his Recioto is the Rebo grape, rich in colour & zucchero!
In 2015 he completed a smart new cantina, complete with vertical, static, stainless fermenters, botti grandi & tonneaux. He’s helped in the cantina by Enzo Bertolazzi, an enologo from Alto Adige. He uses the oak judiciously, while employing selected yeast for more control. Total sulphur is approx. 65mg/Litro. Production is currently only 10k bts/anno. He bottles with technical twin-disc & natural cork closures from Portokorc.
This traditional, family-owned estate – initially by the Jago, then Albasini & currently Spinosa family – dates back to 1860, & is set among gardens of the fine 19th century Villa. And since 2017, Enrico Cascella Spinosa has been joined by his nepote, Piergiovanni Ferrarese.
The property comprises c.25ha located on the western flank of the Negrar comune, & on the border with Marano di Valpolicella. La Valle di Negrar lies on the east part of the Classica zone, at c.400m asl, hence higher & farther from the warming influence of the Lago di Garda further west. Soils are a mixed of sedimentary ancient calcareous stones, sandstone, flint & volcanic red basalt.
Starting in the 1990s, the vineyards have been re-trellised from 1.8k/ha pergola to 4k/ha guyot. In 2018 they completed the new, underground cantina & bottaio, where they age the wines in 5yo french tonneaux & Garbellotto 20/25 HL botte.
The wines are traditionally made, using static, vertical, stainless-steel fermentors. Appassimento of the local Corvina Veronese, Corvinone & Rondinella grapes takes place on the premises.
Native ‘Negraresi’, the Mazzi family can trace their history back to the early 1900s, & is descended from the local Dall’Ora family; their fine casa & mulino/mill date from the early 1800s, & the 8ha of vineyards were inherited directly from the Dall’Oras.
Roberto Mazzi began bottling their wines in 1958, & now his sons Stefano (nato ’65) & Antonio (’68) continue his legacy, with Stefano joining in 1987 & Antonio in 1990; Stefano is responsible primarily for the vineyards, having graduated as an Agricultural Engineer, while Antonio studied modern languages (English & German). The cantina is found on the eastern edge of the town of Negrar, just below the cru of San Peretto. Indeed, prior to renaming the cantina after the family in 1979, the winery was known simply as ‘Sanperetto’.
Their vineyards are centred round the Negrar crus of San Peretto, Poiega, Villa, Castel, & Calcarole (for the Recioto); they also now have some vineyards in Marano for the Valpolicella Classico. They take the ‘lotta integrata/lutte raisonee’ approach to working their vines, grassing over, using a ‘freisa’ to clear the area under the rows, cutting the grass & not using any anti-muffa chemicals. No irrigation is used.
Their vinification approach is quite technical, with the emphasis on fruit expression thanks to guyot-trellising, pre-ferment cold soaks & relatively short 10-20 day, roto-fermentations (since 2015) at controlled, lower temperatures using selected yeast to retain the freshness of their grapes (& to help achieve dryness): Corvina, Corvinone, Rondinella & also Molinara for acidity. The wines are aged mostly in barriques from Radoux, plus some 16HL botte grande made locally by Mastro Bottaio. Total sulphur levels at bottling are at circa 90mg/Litro.
Sadly Roberto Mazzi passed on in April 2020.