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Piemonte (Piedmont)

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Producers · 29

Essential references

G.D. Vajra

Piedmont

  • Patience on the hill of violets: Bricco delle Viole takes its name from the violets that flower there in spring. The family’s old vines stand at 400–480 metres on a hillside that Aldo Vaira says taught him patience.
  • The 2021: long skin contact, fine texture: The skins remained submerged for fifty-one days in 2021, followed by twenty-four months in large Slavonian oak casks. Violet, red fruit and incense accompany a silky palate with precise tannins in this traditionally made Barolo.

Family grower estate in Barolo; named-site wines allow comparison within the appellation.

Defining estates and collectives

Produttori del Barbaresco

Piedmont

  • A priest and nineteen growers: In 1958, Don Fiorino Marengo brought together nineteen farmers to secure greater value for their grapes. Their first harvest was made into wine in the presbytery courtyard: Barbaresco became a collective endeavour.
  • The village or a single vineyard: The Barbaresco blends grapes from several members’ vineyards; the Riservas, including “Asili”, “Rabajà” and “Montestefano”, each distinguish a site. The winery favours a traditional approach: for the blended wine, twenty-four days with the skins precede maturation in large casks.
  • The 2021, broad and ageworthy: The 2021 Barbaresco offers ripe red fruit, spice and a powerful finish. It is a broad vintage that the winery intends for ageing; the “Asili” Riserva has its own profile, reserved in youth and more complex with age.

Grower cooperative vinifying member-grown Nebbiolo, with a regional wine and nine named-site Riservas in selected years.

Defining estates and collectives

Banfi Piemonte

Piedmont

  • Red, sweet and sparkling: Since the 2000 vintage, “Rosa Regale” has put Brachetto, Piedmont’s fragrant red grape, in the spotlight. Banfi Piemonte makes it into a sweet sparkling wine: introduce the bottle by stating its colour, bubbles and sweetness from the outset.
  • Rose and strawberry: “Rosa Regale” 2022 is pale ruby, with lively bubbles and strawberry and rose aromas. At 7.5% ABV, its sweetness is balanced by pronounced acidity.
Essential references

Bartolo Mascarello

Piedmont · Barolo

  • One Barolo, several vineyards: At the Mascarello estate, grapes from several sites come together in a single cuvée, rather than a collection of single-vineyard wines. Maria Teresa continues this family choice: the identity of the Barolo emerges from their combination.
  • Tradition throughout the cellar: The grapes ferment together, then the wine matures for a long time in botti, the traditional large casks of Piedmont. This way of working makes blending and time the estate’s two signatures.
  • Fragrance and texture: The 2021 Barolo combines rose, raspberry and bitter orange. Its juicy fruit rests on fine but gripping tannins, with a long finish.
Historic estates and founders

Borgogno

Piedmont · Barolo

  • Twenty years of patience: From the 1920s, Borgogno set aside a portion of its Barolo to sell twenty years later. Its collection of older vintages still allows drinkers to discover what time brings to Nebbiolo.
  • A wine of protest: With “No Name”, Borgogno turned the declassification of a Nebbiolo into a protest against administrative complexity. This cuvée carries the Langhe Nebbiolo DOC appellation.
  • “Liste”, in the traditional mould: For “Liste” 2021, the skins remain submerged for more than thirty days after fermentation, before two years and eight months in large Slavonian oak casks. This lengthy cellar work accompanies a deep Barolo with fine tannins, combining black fruit, raspberry, spice and forest floor.
Essential references

Braida

Piedmont

  • A neighbour’s nickname: “Bricco dell’Uccellone” takes its name from the nickname of a woman who lived on the hillside. Behind this now-famous label lies a memory of Rocchetta Tanaro.
  • Barbera thinks big: Braida makes this pure Barbera into a concentrated, ageworthy wine, matured for twelve months in barriques and then a year in bottle. It shows that the grape can produce an ambitious red, beyond its role as an everyday fruity wine.
  • A broad, spicy red: “Bricco dell’Uccellone”, offers concentrated red fruit, vanilla, liquorice and mentholated spice. The palate is broad and structured.
Essential references

Bruno Giacosa

Piedmont · Barbaresco and Barolo

  • The skill of choosing grapes: Bruno Giacosa made his name with grapes bought from other growers: his “Santo Stefano” Barbaresco came from Castello di Neive. This collaboration ended with the 2012 harvest, but remains a significant chapter in his story.
  • Falletto, a vineyard of his own: In 1980, Giacosa bought Falletto in Serralunga d’Alba, the source of his Barolo of the same name. The estate thus combines the art of selecting grapes with work in its own vineyards.
  • “Asili”, tradition and silkiness: The 2023 “Asili” Barbaresco spends twenty-five days fermenting and macerating in stainless steel, then eighteen months in large French oak casks. This traditional approach, supported by modern tools, gives ripe red fruit and noticeable yet silky tannins here, with good persistence.
Discoveries and alternatives

Cappellano

Piedmont · Serralunga d’Alba

  • Vines on their own roots: In the 1980s, Teobaldo Cappellano replanted a few rows of Michet Nebbiolo at Gabutti without rootstocks: this was the wager behind “Piè Franco”. These vines were planted after the arrival of phylloxera; their distinction lies in the decision to grow Nebbiolo on its own roots.
  • “Piè Rupestris”, time in large casks: The other Barolo, “Otin Fiorin Piè Rupestris”, continues a traditional approach. The 2020 spends thirty to forty days in contact with the skins in concrete, then matures in large casks.
  • A Barolo that reveals itself slowly: “Otin Fiorin Piè Rupestris”, has an austere structure, notes of liquorice and juniper, and balsamic accents. Its appeal emerges gradually with time.
Pioneers and renewal

Domenico Clerico

Piedmont · Monforte d’Alba

  • A name rooted in Ginestra: Since 1982, Clerico’s Barolo from Ginestra has carried the name “Ciabot Mentin”: ciabot is a vineyard hut, and Mentin was the former owner. The label preserves the memory of the person who worked this Monforte d’Alba site.
  • Selection continues in the cellar: Ciabot Mentin is first matured in barriques. Tasting then determines which wines are brought together in a large cask, so selection continues beyond the harvest. Small barrels associated with modern Barolo and the traditional large vessel form successive stages of one wine.
  • The 2021 in the glass: Dark cherry, ripe plum and a smoky touch accompany Ciabot Mentin 2021. Firm tannins carry through its solid finish.
Pioneers and renewal

Elio Altare

Piedmont · Barolo

  • A break with the past, by chainsaw: After a trip to Burgundy in 1976, Elio Altare cut up the old cellar vessels to make room for barriques. The gesture marked his determination to change the family Barolo and seek a different expression of its finesse.
  • A modernist whose choices evolve: The estate’s Barolo combines a short maceration with twenty-four months in used French barriques. The approach remains modernist, but the use of seasoned wood shows that Altare’s quest goes beyond the flavour of new oak.
  • Fruit, violet and supple tannins: The Barolo, offers red fruit and a violet finish. Its warm palate is accompanied by supple tannins.
Essential references

G.B. Burlotto

Piedmont · Verduno

  • A foot-trodden Barolo: For “Monvigliero”, Burlotto keeps the bunches whole and treads them by foot to handle their stems gently—the small stalks that carry the berries. The skins then remain submerged in the wine for around two months: a very distinctive traditional signature of this cuvée.
  • Verduno also has its Pelaverga: The estate also vinifies Pelaverga Piccolo, the local grape of Verduno Pelaverga DOC. The grapes for this wine are destemmed: the methods used for “Monvigliero” are therefore not applied across the range.
  • Breadth without heaviness: The “Monvigliero” Barolo, is described as elegant and broad, without heaviness. Its finish leaves a saline sensation.
Essential references

Gaja

Piedmont

  • “Darmagi!”, a father’s words: In 1978, Angelo Gaja planted Cabernet Sauvignon in Barbaresco, where his father Giovanni expected Nebbiolo. His reaction, “Darmagi!”, meaning “what a pity!” in Piedmontese, became this cuvée’s name: the memory tells the story of Angelo’s daring.
  • Barbaresco remains at the family’s heart: At this five-generation estate, the flagship Barbaresco brings together fourteen separately vinified vineyards. The method described in 2023 combines three to four weeks of skin contact, followed by barriques and large casks: a mixed approach between modernity and tradition.
  • Refined power: The 2021 Barbaresco combines red fruit, flowers and delicate spices. The structure is dense, but refined tannins maintain an impression of elegance.
Essential references

Giacomo Conterno

Piedmont

  • Time decides “Monfortino”: At Conterno, lots remain separate during maturation: only those whose character justifies it become “Monfortino”. This Riserva is therefore also shaped by observing the wine in the cellar.
  • A Barolo faithful to large casks: Long macerations and several years in large casks place “Monfortino” within the Barolo tradition. The estate gives this ageworthy Nebbiolo time to develop before release.
  • The depth of the 2010: At its release in 2017, “Monfortino” 2010 showed red and black fruit, spice and leather. Ripe, persistent tannins supported this Barolo built for ageing.
New generation and emerging producers

Giulia Negri - Serradenari

Piedmont

  • A family vineyard beside the truffle woods: Giulia Negri took charge of the family vineyard in 2014, aged twenty-four. At Serradenari, vines border truffle woods; La Tartufaia takes its name from this setting.
  • La Tartufaia: time in large casks: Spontaneous fermentation and around forty days of maceration are followed by twenty-four months in 2,500-litre Austrian oak casks. The 2022 is described by its classical Barolo structure.
  • Serradenari 2021: Serradenari is a separate Barolo, bearing the Serradenari geographical mention. Its 2021 has a taut profile with cherry, rose and citrus.
Essential references

Giuseppe Rinaldi

Barolo

  • Marta and Carlotta continue Beppe’s work: Marta and Carlotta continue their father Beppe’s work under the Giuseppe Rinaldi name. Their Brunate Barolo follows the traditional cellar route of long contact with the skins and maturation in large Slavonian oak casks.
  • Brunate 2019: supple, then complex: Brunate 2019 opens with a supple texture, then develops notes of resin, truffle, roots and juniper.
Essential references

La Scolca

Piedmont

  • A black label becomes a signature: In 1969, the Soldati family registered the name “Gavi dei Gavi”, which became La Scolca’s flagship cuvée. The name belongs to the estate; the wine’s appellation is Gavi DOCG.
  • Old Cortese vines: The cuvée is made exclusively from Cortese, selected from vines that can reach sixty years of age. The wine stays in contact with its lees, the natural sediment left by fermentation, until bottling.
  • A dry white with substance: “Gavi dei Gavi”, combines freshness and breadth. Citrus leads into an almond and walnut finish.
Pioneers and renewal

La Spinetta

Piedmont · Barolo · Grinzane Cavour

  • The lion marks Campè: An admirer of Dürer, Giorgio Rivetti chose his animals for La Spinetta: the rhinoceros identifies the house, while the lion marks its Campè Barolo. The wine began in Grinzane Cavour in 2000, following the estate’s Moscatos in 1977 and Gallina Barbaresco in 1995.
  • A measured use of new oak: Campè spends fourteen to fifteen days with its skins, then matures in French casks, 20% new. New oak forms one part of the maturation programme, alongside a larger proportion of previously used vessels.
  • Breadth supported by tannin: Rose, plum and black berries develop towards white truffle and forest floor. Campè has a broad, powerful palate supported by solid, harmonious tannins.
Essential references

Luciano Sandrone

Piedmont · Barolo · Cannubi Boschis

  • Two grandchildren on the label: Since the 2013 vintage, the Cannubi Boschis Barolo has been called “Aleste”, combining the names Alessia and Stefano, Luciano Sandrone’s grandchildren. The name celebrates family continuity; the vineyard of origin remains Cannubi Boschis.
  • A path between two traditions: “Aleste” 2021 ferments spontaneously in open stainless-steel vats, then matures in 500-litre French tonneaux. This size, between a barrique and a large cask, illustrates Sandrone’s mixed approach.
  • Fruit and ripe tannins: “Aleste” 2021 combines cherry, raspberry, spice and forest floor. The robust palate rests on ripe tannins that remain firm, with a graphite note on the finish.
Historic estates and founders

Marcarini

Piedmont · La Morra

  • Brunate on the label since 1958: Marcarini named “Brunate” on its bottles as early as 1958, well before vineyard designations became widespread. The estate thus connects its Barolo to this vineyard in La Morra.
  • A tradition of patience: The “Brunate” Barolo spends at least four weeks in contact with the skins, then two years or more in casks of 2,000 to 4,000 litres. These large vessels, the botti, are at the heart of the estate’s traditionalist approach.
  • Spice and velvet: “Brunate”, offers sweet spices, tobacco and forest floor. Its warm, velvety palate persists at length.
Essential references

Michele Chiarlo

Piedmont

  • Cipressi, a Barbera from La Court: The cypresses at La Court in Castelnuovo Calcea give Cipressi its name. Michele Chiarlo makes this wine solely from Barbera under Nizza DOCG, connecting the bottle to the estate’s landscape.
  • Gentle extraction, time in large oak: The cap of skins is kept wet by a gentle shower during ten to twelve days of maceration in steel. The wine then spends twelve months in large oak casks, within at least eighteen months of maturation before release.
  • Cipressi 2022: Violet, blackberry, raspberry and spice lead into a broad, structured palate in Cipressi 2022. The finish is long and savoury.
Essential references

Paolo Scavino

Piedmont · Barolo · Castiglione Falletto

  • The vineyard Enrico wanted to reveal: In 1978, Enrico convinced his father Paolo to vinify the Fiasco grapes separately in Castiglione Falletto. This choice gave rise to “Bric dël Fiasc”, which became an estate signature.
  • An evolving modernity: After adopting the new techniques of the 1980s, Enrico Scavino made more room for large casks and reduced the role of barriques. The approach became mixed: the pursuit of precision mattered more than loyalty to either camp.
  • Dense fruit, a lively framework: “Bric dël Fiasc”, evokes small red berries, liquorice and balsamic notes. Fine, vibrant tannins, supported by acidity, give energy to this dense Barolo.
Essential references

Pecchenino

Piedmont

  • A vineyard dedicated to Dolcetto: Since 1988, Pecchenino has bottled Sirì d’Jermu from a single vineyard near the Dogliani estate. The choice is to give Dolcetto a named site of its own, under Dogliani Superiore DOCG.
  • A full-bodied Dolcetto: Blackberry, blueberry and red cherry accompany Sirì d’Jermu’s full body and supple tannins. Generous fruit and substance remain balanced.
Essential references

Poderi Aldo Conterno

Piedmont · Barolo · Monforte d’Alba

  • Three Bussia vineyards, one Riserva: Old vines in Romirasco, Cicala and Colonnello, all within Bussia in Monforte d’Alba, supply Granbussia. Aldo Conterno brings these three origins together in its flagship Barolo Riserva.
  • Release is part of the selection: Granbussia is made only in years selected by the estate and waits at least ten years before release. Thirty days of maceration are followed by long maturation in large oak casks: the cellar does part of the waiting before the bottle reaches the table.
  • Fruit and silk after the wait: Granbussia is presented as a fruity Nebbiolo with a silky texture. The estate’s long cellar rest is part of the experience of this selectively produced Riserva.
Essential references

Poderi Luigi Einaudi

Piedmont

  • Dolcetto beyond Dogliani: Luigi Einaudi bought San Giacomo in Dogliani in 1897, well before becoming President of the Italian Republic. By developing the bottling of Dolcetto, he helped take this local grape beyond its region.
  • Dogliani: Dolcetto kept fresh: Dogliani names the place and appellation; Dolcetto is the grape. Einaudi ferments this wine in steel and concrete, separates it from the skins after a short maceration and rests it in steel. Fresh red fruit and an almond finish make it a direct introduction to the wine that began Einaudi’s story.
  • A later generation adds music: For the estate’s 125th anniversary, Luigi’s grandson Ludovico Einaudi dedicated a composition to Dogliani. The back labels of Dogliani and Tecc let the listener hear it, connecting the family’s wine and music across generations.
Pioneers and renewal

Renato Ratti

Piedmont · La Morra

  • Marcenasco and La Morra: Since its first vintage in 1965, Marcenasco has carried the black falcon of a local noble family. Renato Ratti tied the name and image of his Barolo to the history of its place.
  • Innovation that kept evolving: Ratti historically shortened maceration and maturation. Marcenasco now combines three to four weeks on the skins with around two years in large 2,500- and 5,000-litre casks: the approach has continued to evolve around this Barolo.
  • A full, supple Barolo: Marcenasco is described by a full, supple palate and notes of liquorice and tobacco.
  • A bottle shared by the Langhe: Ratti’s influence also extends beyond his wine: in 1973, he inspired the collective revival of the Albeisa bottle, recognised by the name embossed in its glass.
Essential references

Roagna

Piedmont · Barbaresco and Barolo

  • A long relationship with the skins: Roagna keeps the skins submerged for around sixty to seventy days in its Barolo and Barbaresco, followed by long maturation in neutral wood and then concrete. Time is a shared feature across these two origins.
  • Pajé: the Barbaresco origin: Pajé comes from Barbaresco. Roagna describes its character through structure and complexity.
  • Pira: the Barolo origin: Pira comes from Castiglione Falletto within Barolo. Roagna describes the wine through purity and elegance. It shares the family’s patient cellar approach with Pajé, while coming from a different vineyard and appellation.
Essential references

Travaglini

Piedmont

  • The bottle that retains the sediment: In 1958, Giancarlo Travaglini designed and patented his curved bottle. Its shape helps retain sediment as the wine is poured: a tangible detail to share when serving Gattinara.
  • The Nebbiolo of Gattinara: The family has devoted its work to this Nebbiolo from northern Piedmont. Gattinara offers an expression distinct from those of Barolo and Barbaresco.
  • Flowers and freshness: The Gattinara, combines violet, rose and small red berries, with freshness and fine tannins. Time brings out spicy and balsamic nuances.
Pioneers and renewal

Trediberri

Piedmont

  • The three of Berri: In 2007, Nicola, his father Federico and their friend Vladimiro bought vines in Berri. Their name, Trediberri, means the three of Berri; the first bottles were released in 2011.
  • Tradition, with the desire to drink young: The “Berri” Barolo spends around three weeks in contact with the skins, then twenty months in large casks of 2,500 and 5,200 litres. This traditionally inspired choice serves a wine the estate wants to be enjoyable in its youth.
  • Ripeness and freshness: The “Berri” Barolo, emphasises ripe fruit, freshness and immediate pleasure. It nevertheless retains the capacity to develop in bottle.
Pioneers and renewal

Vietti

Piedmont

  • A place for Rocche, a bottle for Arneis: Alfredo Currado vinified Rocche di Castiglione separately in 1961 and bottled Arneis on its own in 1967. The two choices show Vietti giving a specific Barolo site and a Piedmontese white grape their own identities.
  • Brunate’s cellar route: Vietti’s Brunate Barolo matures mainly in large casks, with a small proportion of barriques. Ravera is another separately named Barolo in the estate’s range.
  • Three routes through Piedmont: The house’s general Barolo profile combines cherry, rose and tobacco with power and integrated tannins. Roero Arneis is a dry, floral white with citrus and melon. Moscato d’Asti takes another route: peach, apricot and rose, gentle fizz and fresh sweetness at around 5.5% alcohol.