Located in the Monferrato comune of Agliano Terme, an ancient paese famous for its magnesium-rich thermal springs & Barbera grapes, seventh generation Samuele CASTINO started working alongside his padre Angelo & zio in 2020, having graduated in agronomia e enologia in Alba/Turin, then gained experience in Bordeaux, Burgundy, & Priorat. The family cantina was founded in 1854, with customers principally in Turin & Asti, & until recently was buying in fruit & wine, vinified in a series of old 50HL cement tanks, to supplement their 6ha in order to supply a local market.
The family cantina lies on a ridge between frazioni Bansella-Banchetti, Dani-Scorrone, & Vignole south-east of the village, on gently sloping calc-clay, gypsum, & sandy/limo soils. The 6ha is divided up between Barbera (3.5ha), Grignolino, Nebbiolo, & Cortese. Agliano Terme is the most western comune of Nizza DOCG, & one of 18 that form part of the territory; indeed the family make a Nizza DOCG from a small south-facing plot planted in 1992. They have some ancient (& younger) Grignolino vines, & in 2016 they planted their first Monferrato Nebbiolo vines. They also have a Barbera vineyard in the sand-rich comune of Mombercelli.
On joining his family, Samuele stopped the practice of using herbicides, & renovated the existing tino & botti grandi. He uses selective yeast, has introduced new tonneaux, & he prefers to vinify his Grignolino d’Asti without malolactic fermentation so as to retain as much freshness as possible.
The family recently invested in a GAI bottling machine, & they are trialling DIAM & Stelvin screw-cap closures, along with cork.
Gianmario Cerutti’s family own 6ha of prime sandy calcareous soils at Cassinasco, 480metres above sea level overlooking Canelli, the Moscato d’Asti & Metodo Classico capital in the Langhe Astigiani (& of Italia!) No surprise then that Gianmario focuses his energy on producing primarily a Moscato d’Asti Canelli DOCG & (since vintage 2015) an Alta Langa DOCG.
Gianmario’s grandfather, Enrico 1, bought the current Cascina in 1931, selling off the fruit. In the 1940s, the family started to vinify their fruit before the first bottling in the ’70s. Fourth generation Gianmario graduated from Alba’s viticultural school Umberto 1 in 1992 & began at the family cantina in 1994, while also moonlighting as a key buyer/winemaker at the Coppo winery. Indeed it is here that their Alta Langa is aged & bottled.
They make the Moscato d’Asti Canelli from two sites: ‘Suri Galle’ at 380m asl SE facing, e ‘Suri Sandrinet’ at 320m asl, SW facing on white sandier soils.
Since vintage 2011, Gianmario has also been sourcing fruit to make a Metodo Classico, now Alta Langa DOCG, from two sites: 80% Pinot Nero from white calc & limo (silt) vineyards in Bubbio, in the Val Bormida, & 20% Chardonnay from white sand & calc Cassinasco, in the Val Belbo at between 300 – 400m asl. From the 2015 vintage this wine has now become Alta Langa DOCG Brut.
His father Enrico II breeds pretty, prize-winning canaries so the Cascina shrills to birdsong. His mother Luciana makes a delicious ‘torta di nocciola’ (hazelnut cake), & his wife Anita works along her family at the excellent Ristorante Casa Crippa in Canelli!
In his spare time (!), Gianmario is also Presidente of the Associazione Produttori Moscato di Canelli; an associated member of the Consorzio dell’Alta Langa; & on the Consiglio (Board) di Amministrazione della FIVI (Federazione Italiano Viticultori Indipendente)!
The ‘Canelli’ denominazione of Moscato d’Asti applies to Gianmario’s wine because the village of Cassinasco is one of the 23 communes in the ‘Canelli’ sub-region famous for Moscato d’Asti; Canelli comprises 95ha, while Santa Vittoria (Roero) is only 2ha, & Strevi 0.5ha! Current total Moscato d’Asti production in 2017 was 35 million bottles; Cerutti produces 8,000!
> Essentially organic but will resort to chemicals if absolutely necessary.