Piedmont Producers

Question 1

When was Mascarello founded?; where is it?

Answer 1

• 1920, by Giulio Mascarello, Bartolo’s father
• Barolo proper

Question 2

Mascarello: winemaking

Answer 2

• Fermentation in glass lined concrete
• Spontaneous fermentation as much as possible (but not dogmatic)
• 40-50 days
• Aging in botti

Question 3

B. Mascarello: vineyards

Answer 3

• Cannubi
• San Lorenzo
• Rué (SW of Sarmassa)
• Le Rocche

Question 4

Does Mascarello make a riserva?

Answer 4

No

Question 5

When was Giuseppe Rinaldi founded?; where is it?

Answer 5

• 1890, by Giuseppe Rinaldi, the current Giuseppe (Beppe)’s grandfather
• Barolo proper

Question 6

What is Rinaldi Brunate Riserva?

Answer 6

• Single vineyard riserva bottling
• Made only in top vintages and released after 10 years of barrel age
• Made by Beppe’s father Battista, discontinued by Beppe in 1990 (he prefers the tradition of blending sites)

Question 7

Who are the “Last of the Mohicans?”

Answer 7

• Bartolo Mascarello
• Beppe Rinaldi
• Teobaldo Cappellano

Question 8

Beppe Rinaldi: Viticulture and Winemaking

Answer 8

• No chemicals; Copper and sulfur against fungal disease
• Fertilizing only with manure, for 4-5 years when the vines are young
• Spontaneous fermentation in wooden vats, 20-30 day maceration, Botti only

Question 9

Historically, what are Giuseppe Rinaldi’s two wines?; what vintage did this change?; why?

Answer 9

• Cannubi San Lorenzo-Ravera
• Brunate-Le Coste
• 2010, when the ruling was passed that a bottle can bear a single vineyard name, or none

Question 10

Rinaldi wines, post 2010

Answer 10

• Brunate
  
  • includes max 15% allowed Le Coste
• Tre Tine
  
  • Le Coste, Ravera, Cannubi San Lorenzo

Question 11

Cannubi San Lorenzo-Ravera v. Brunate-Le Coste

Answer 11

• CSL-Ravera
  
  • _​_rounder, more succulent, more approachable earlier
• Brunate-LC
  
  • more austere, firmly structured, intensely floral
• Presumably, the Brunate will continue to be more austere and long lived than the Tre Tine?

Question 12

Francesco Rinaldi: family relationship

Answer 12

• Cousin to Giuseppe
• Poderi are entirely separate
• Traditionalist philosophy is the same

Question 13

Francesco Rinaldi: wines

Answer 13

• Brunate
• Cannubbio (Cannubi)
• Grignolino
• Dolcetto

Question 14

Who owns Bricco Boschis; where is it?

Answer 14

• Cavallotto
• Castiglione Falletto

Question 15

Climats within Bricco Boschis

Answer 15

• Vigna San Giuseppe
• Vigna Colle Sudovest
• Punta Marcello

Question 16

Scavino: winemaking

Answer 16

• 1st in Piedmont to use rotary fermenters, 1993
• Today, some of the wine sees the old rotary fermenters, and the rest sees new open top tanks with nets to keep the cap submerged
• Some pumpovers to release CO2
• First year in barrique, 15-20% new, then into large neutral cask

Question 17

Scavino: top wines

Answer 17

• Bric Fiasc: first vinified separately in 1978, the wine that put them on the map
• Cannubi
• Carobric (Rocche di Castiglione)
• Bricco Ambrogio (Roddi)
• Monvigliero (Verduno)
• Rocche dell’Annunziata Riserva (La Morra)

Question 18

When was Giuseppe Mascarello founded; where?

Answer 18

1881, in Monchiero, outside the boundaries of Barolo. However, their prime real estate is in Castiglione Falletto.

Question 19

Is Monprivato a monopole of Giuseppe Mascarello?

Answer 19

No, but they own 93%, and they are the only producer to so-label the wines

Question 20

What is Monprivato Ca’ d’Morissio?

Answer 20

• A riserva made in qualifiying years, from a small parcel of very old Michet clone (less productive than Lampia) vinified and aged apart
• If good enough it will see 1-2 more years of age in large wood; if not, it will be blended into Monprivato

Question 21

Giuseppe Mascarello: modern or traditional?

Answer 21

• Mostly traditional - 25 day fermentation, large cask.
• Fermentation split between stainless (modern) and glass-lined cement (traditional)
• They do bottle by cru

Question 22

When was Cappellano founded?; where?

Answer 22

1870; Serralunga d’Alba

Question 23

Who invented Barolo Chinato?

Answer 23

Giuseppe Cappellano (son of founder Filippo), in the late 1800’s - anecdotal

Question 24

Cappellano: vineyards

Answer 24

2ha in the Gabutti cru, purchased from a grower named Otin Fiorin in the 1980’s (namesake of Cappellano’s barolo)

Question 25

Cappellano: wines

Answer 25

• Otin Fiorin Piè Rupestris
  
  • 70 yo vines grafted on rupestris
• Otin Fiorin Piè Franco
  
  • ungrafted vines planted in 1989
• Both wines aged 3.5-4 years in slavonian oak, Traditional vinification

Question 26

Where is Elio Altare?

Answer 26

La Morra

Question 27

Elio Altare: winemaking

Answer 27

• Rotary fermenters since 1993, regular removal of seeds during fermentation to minimize harsh tannin
• After 3-4 days in the fermenter, racked into barrique (30% new)

Question 28

Elio Altare: wines

Answer 28

• Arborina
  
  • standard bearer, estate vineyard
• Brunate
  
  • leased vineyard, 1995-2009
• Vigna Bricco
  
  • leased vineyard in Serralunga d’Alba (since 2005)
• Will produce Cannubi in the future

Question 29

Where is Giacomo Conterno?; what is the relationship to Aldo Conterno?

Answer 29

• Monforte d’Alba
• Giovanni and Aldo Conterno are the sons of Giacomo Conterno. Aldo split off in 1969, and Giovanni continued at Giacomo Conterno

Question 30

When did Giacomo Conterno purchase his estate vineyard?; what and where?

Answer 30

• 1974; From 1920 to 1974, wine was made from purchased grapes
• Cascina Francia, Serralunga
• All estate wine comes from Cascina Francia; Monfortino is named in honor of the home village

Question 31

Giacomo Conterno: wines

Answer 31

• Cascina Francia
  
  • normale; aged 4 years in large oak
• Monfortino
  
  • Riserva; aged 7 years in large oak; selected grapes; not made in all vintages
• Cerretta
  
  • debut vintage 2010
• Barbera

Question 32

Aldo Conterno: winemaking innovation

Answer 32

• Moved from submerged cap to pumpovers and limited fermentation and maceration times to minimize tannin; Stainless steel fermentation
• HOWEVER, no barrique, ever, and still using large slavonian oak

Question 33

Aldo Conterno: wines

Answer 33

• Barolo/Barolo Bussia
  
  • Pre 2009, blend of vineyards within Bussia and Barolo
  • Post 2009 (destructive mudslide), all fruit is from Bussia and labeled as such
• Colonello
• Bussia Cicala
• Romirasco
• Gran Bussia
  
  • Riserva, made in worthy years
  • 70% Romirasco, 15% Cicala, 15% Colonello
  • Pre 2005, vinified separately then blended, 35 day maceration
  • Post 2005, vinified together, 60 day maceration

Question 34

When was Gaja founded?; where?

Answer 34

• 1859 - oldest winery in Barbaresco
• Barbaresco proper

Question 35

First vintage for Gaja’s single vineyard Barbarescos?

Answer 35

• Sori San Lorenzo, 1967
• Sori Tilden, 1970
• Costa Russi, 1978

Question 36

When did Gaja declassify the single vineyard Barbaresco’s to Langhe DOC?

Answer 36

1996

Question 37

Varietal blend on Gaja’s Langhe DOC wines?

Answer 37

For the Nebbiolo based wines, 6-8% Barbera

Question 38

Gaja: wines from Piedmont

Answer 38

• Sori San Lorenzo, Sori Tilden, Costa Russi
• Sperss (Serralunga, Langhe DOC)
• Conteisa (La Morra, mostly Cerequio, Langhe DOC)
• DaGromis (Serralunga and La Morra, Barolo DOCG)
• Darmagi (Cab Sauv, Barbaresco, Langhe DOC)
• Sito Moresco (equal parts Nebbiolo/Cab Sauv/Merlot, Barbaresco, Langhe DOC)
• Alteni di Brassica (Sauv Blanc, barrique, Barbaresco and Serralunga, Langhe DOC)
• Gaia & Rey (Chardonnay, Treiso, Langhe DOC)
• Rossj-Bass (Chardonnay, Piedmont, Langhe DOC)

Question 39

Gaja: wines from elsewhere

Answer 39

• Brunello di Montalcino, Rennina, Sugarille
• Ca’Marcanda (Maremma) -
• Promis: Merlot, Syrah, Sangiovese
• Magari: Merlot, Cab Sauv, Cab Franc
• Ca’Marcanda: Merlot, Cab Sauv, Cab Franc
• Vistamare: Vermentino, Viognier
• Grappa: Sperss, Darmagi, Gaia & Rey