Piemonte Flashcards
What geographic features cradle Piemonte?
- The Apennines
- The Alps
This major river runs through Piemonte.
The Po River
What is the main soil of Piemonte?
Calcareous marl and sandstone with different percentages of clay and sand.
What is the climate of Piemonte?
Continental
The Alps create what in Piemonte?
A rain shadow effect
Where is hail worrisome in Piemonte?
The Langhe
What are the main red grapes of Piemonte?
Nebbiolo
Barbera
Dolcetto
What is the most planted red grape of Piemonte?
Barbera
List some other red grapes of Piemonte.
Brachetto
Grignolino
Ruche
Croatina
Vespolina
Freisa
What is Piemonte’s most planted white grape?
Moscato Bianco (Muscat a Petit Grains)
List some other white grapes of Piemonte.
Cortese
Arneis
Erbaluce
Favorita (Vermentino)
How many DOCG/DOC in Piemonte?
19 DOCG
41 DOC
In what province are Barolo and Barbaresco located?
Cuneo Province
What is the main river of Barolo and Barbaresco?
Tanaro River
List the 11 communes of Barolo.
Entirely included in DOCG:
Barolo, Castiglione Falletto, Serralunga d’Alba
Partially included in DOCG: Monforte d’Alba, La Morra, Diano d’Alba, Novello, Verduno, Grinzane Cavour, Cherasco, Roddi
From North and around to the SE:
Verduno
Roddi
Grinzano Cavour
Diano d’ Alba
Castiglione Falleto
Serralunga d’ Alba
Monforte d’ Alba
Novello
Barolo
La Morra
Cherasco
What communes of production of Barolo are located completely within the DOCG?
Barolo
Castiglione Falleto
Serralunga d’ Alba
What are the two soil types of Barolo? What are their differences?
Tortonian Age Soil
- higher proportion of calcareous marl which results in a softer style.
- blue gray marls
Serravallian Age (Helvetian)
- sandstone soil that produces more structured wines.
- limestone and compacted sands
List the soil types of each commune.
La Morra - Tortonian Age (calcareous marl)
Barolo - Tortonian (calcareous marl)
Monforte d’ Alba - Serravallian (sandstone)
Serralunga d’ Alba - Serravalian (sandstone)
List the aging requirements for Barolo Normale vs Riserva.
Normale: 38 months from Nov 1 of harvest year, 18 months in wood
Riserva: 62 months from Nov 1 of harvest year, 18 months in wood
What are the communes of production for Barbaresco?
Barbaresco
Neive
Treiso
San Rocco Senodelvio (part of Alba)
List the aging requirements for Barbaresco Normale vs Riserva.
Normale: 26 months from Nov 1 following harvest, minimum 9 months in oak, may be released Jan 1 of third year following harvest
Riserva: 50 months from Nov 1 following harvest, minimum 9 months in oak, may be released Jan 1 of fifth year following harvest
List the DOCG of Piemonte
Gattinara
Ghemme
Erbaluce di Caluso
Barbera del Monferrato Superiore
Ruche di Castagnole Monferrato
Barbera d’ Asti
Nizza
Roero
Barbaresco
Dolcetto di Diano d’ Alba
Barolo
Dogliani
Asti/Moscato d’ Asti
Brachetto d’ Aqui
Gavi di Gavi
Dolcetto di Ovada Superiore
Alta Langa
Terre Alfieri - elevated in 2020
Canelli - elevated in 2023
What is Barolo Chinato?
an aromatized wine flavored with quinine
What is the most important producer of Barolo Chinato?
Cappellano
What are the varieties and styles of Roero?
Rosso: min 95% Nebbiolo
Bianco/Bianco Spumante: min 95% Arneis
What are the soils of Roero?
Sandy
lower in calcium carbonate
What is the river that flows through Gattinara and Ghemme?
The Sesia River
In Gattinara and Ghemme, nebbiolo is also known as this.
Spanna
What are the main grapes of Ghemme?
Minimum 85% Spanna (Nebbiolo),
Combined maximum 15% Vespolina and Uva Rara (Bonarda Novarese)
What are the main grapes of Gattinara?
Minimum 90% Spanna (Nebbiolo)
Maximum 10% in total of Bonarda di Gattinara and Vespolina (Vespolina cannot exceed 4%)
What is minimum aging for Barbera d’ Asti Normale vs Riserva, subzone designation??
Normale: 4 months from Nov 1 of harvest year
Riserva: 14 months from November 1 of the harvest year, min 6 months in oak
Subzone: min 24 months from Oct 1 of harvest year, min 6 months in oak and bottle
What is the aging requirement of Barbera del Monferrato Superiore? What is % abv for Monferrato vs superiore?
14 months, 6 months in cask
12% vs 13%
What is the main grape of Nizza DOCG?
100% Barbera
These DOCG’s in Piemonte are Dolcetto.
Diano d’ Alba
Dogliani
Dolcetto di Ovada Superiore
This DOCG in Piemonte must be superiore to qualify for DOCG status.
Dolcetto di Ovada Superiore DOCG
Barbera de Monferrato Superiore DOCG
What is the first still white wine in Piemonte to be promoted to DOCG status?
Gavi di Gavi
1998
What is the largest producer of DOCG wine in Italy?
Asti DOCG
What is the minimum atmospheres of pressure of Asti Spumante DOCG vs Moscato d’ Asti DOCG?
4.5-5 atmoshperes of pressure
vs
2.5 atmospheres of pressure
What are the grapes of the Alta Langa DOCG?
Min. 90% combined Pinot Noir and/or Chardonnay
Max. 10% other non-aromatic varieties suitable for cultivation in Piemonte
True or False: Alta Langa DOCG are not allowed to be vintage dated.
False - they must be vintage dated.
What are the aging requirements of Alta Langa DOCG normale and riserva?
Spumante:
Min 9 months on lees (per EU law for classical method wines) and total production process must not be less than 30 months
Spumante Riserva:
Min 9 months on lees (per EU law for classical method wines) and total production process must not be less than 36 months
Who makes the bottling Barolo Vigna Cappella? What cru and commune?
Rocche di Manzoni
Perno in Monforte d’Alba
Who makes the bottling Ciabot Mentin? Commune? Cru?
Domenico Clerico
Ginestra
Monforte d’Alba
Who makes the bottling Pajana? Commune? Cru?
Domenico Clerico
Ginestra
Monforte d’Alba
Who makes the bottling Barolo Gavarini Vigna Chiniera? Where?
Elio Grasso
Monforte d’Alba
Who makes the bottling Casa Mate? Cru and commune?
Elio Grasso
Ginestra
Monforte d’ Alba
Which of the following of Elio Grasso’s bottlings is aged in French Barrique?
Gavarini Chiniera
Casa Mate
Runcot
Runcot
What is special about Clerico’s Barolo ‘Percristina’? What vineyard and village do the grapes come from?
Made for his daughter who died in a tragic accident. Only released in the best vintages.
Aged for 3 years barrique, constant tastings to select the best barriques, then assembling in barrel.
2 years in barrel (25 hL), 5+ years in bottle.
Mosconi - Monforte d’Alba
Who makes this bottling? In what cru and commune are these vines located?
Rocche dei Manzoni
Located in the vineyard Mosconi in Monforte d’ Alba.
Grapes of Boca DOC
70% - 90% Nebbiolo
10% - 30% Vespolina and/or Uva Rara (Bonarda Novarese)
Uva Rara is also known as what?
Bonarda Novarese
Grapes of Bramaterra DOC
50% - 80% Nebbiolo
Maximum 30% Croatina
Maximum 20% Uva Rara (Bonarda Novarese) and/or Vespolina
Grapes of Coste Della Sesia
- Bianco
- 100% Erbaluce
- Rosso/Rosato
- minimum 50% Nebbiolo
- maximum 50% other non-aromatic red grapes suitable for cultivation in Piemonte
- Varietal wine
- minimum 85% of the stated varietal (Nebbiolo, Croatina, Vespolina)
- maximum 15% other non-aromatic grapes of the same color
Grape of Caremma DOC
85%-100% Nebbiolo
max 15% other red grapes authorized in Piemonte
Grapes of Lessona DOC
- Rosso/Rosso Riserva
- minimum 85% Nebbiolo
- maximum 15% Vespolina and/or Uva Rara
Grapes of Sizzano DOC
- Rosso/Rosso Riserva
- 50% - 70% Nebbiolo
- 30% - 50% Vespolina and/or Uva rara (Bonarda novarese)
- Maximum 10% other non-aromatic red grapes suitable for cultivation in Piemonte
Grapes of Colline Novaresi
- Bianco: 100% Erbaluce
- Rosso/Rosato/Novello
- minimum 50% Nebbiolo
- maximum 50% other non-aromatic red grapes suitable for cultivation in Piemonte
- Varietal wine
- minimum 85% of the stated varietal (Nebbiolo, Uva Rara, Barbera, Vespolina, Croatina)
- maximum 15% other non-aromatic grapes of the same color
Name some traditional producers of Barolo. (9)
Giacomo Conterno
Guiseppe Mascarello
Bartolo Mascarello
Guiseppe Rinaldi
Roagna
Fratelli Brovia
Cappellano
Giacomo Borgogno
Bruno Giacosa (Barbaresco)
What is cappello sommerso?
Where the cap of seeds and skins is held within the fermenting wine instead of punched down
Name some modernist producers of Barolo and Barbaresco.
Luciano Sandrone (in between)
Prunotto
Ceretto
Paolo Scavino
Domenico Clerico
Elio Altare
Gaja
What are the grapes of Fara DOC?
50% - 70% Nebbiolo
30% - 50% Vespolina and/or Uva Rara
maximum 10% other non-aromatic red grapes suitable for cultivation in Piemonte
What are the four eras of the geological formation of Barolo?
Messinian er (5-7 million years ago)
Tortonian (7-12 million years ago)
Serravalion (11-14 million years ago)
Langhein (14-16 million years ago)
Note: Serravalion and Langhein are part of the Heveltian period?
What is special about Marcarini’s Dolcetto Boschi di Berri?
Planted on pre-phylloxera vines.
Who owns the oldest Dolcetto vines in Italy?
Marcarini (150 years old).
What are the three separate bottlings of Aldo Conterno’s Bussia? Where are the parcels for these bottlings located?
Vigna Cicala
Vigna Romirasco
Vigna Colonello
-comes from the Soprana vineyard within the Bussia cru.
What is Aldo Conterno’s Granbussia?
In the best years, he produces a selection from within each of three parcels and calls it Granbussia.
What is the legal maximum elevation for Barbaresco?
500 meters
What are the appellations of Alto Piemonte? (11)
(NE to SW)ish
Colline Novaresi
Boca
Ghemme
Sizzano
Fara
Coste della Sesia
Gattinara
Bramaterra
Lessona
Carema
Erbaluce di Caluso
What appellations in Alto Piemonte allow Croatina?
Bramaterra
Coste Della Sesia
Colline Novaresi
What village is Bussia located in? Name 3 producers?
Barolo
Monforte d’Alba
-Aldo Conterno
-Fantino
-Parusso
What village is Monprivato located in?
Castiglione Falleto
What village is Cannubi/Cannubi Boschis located in?
3 Producer of each?
Barolo
Cannubi:
- Paolo Scavino
- E Pira
- Michele Chiarli
Cannubi Boschis:
Luciano Sandrone
Francesco Rinaldi
Who makes Monfortino?
G. Conterno (monopole)
What vineyard and village does G. Contero’s Monfortino come from?
- 1920-1974: A blend of sites
- 1978-2014: 100% Francia
- 2015-Onward: A Blend of Francia, Ceretta, and Arione
- Serralunga d’Alba
- Francia = monopole
Who makes Monprivato?
G. Mascarello (monopole)
What top vineyard site is shared between Barolo and Monforte d’ Alba?
Bussia
What is Bruno Giacosa’s monopole in Barolo? In what commune is it located?
Falletto
Located in Serralunga d’ Alba
What vineyard site did G. Conterno buy in 2015? Where is it located? Who sold it to him? Who was making wine from here in the 1970s?
Arione
Located in Serralunga d’Alba
Gigi Rossi sold it to G. Conterno
Bruno Giacosa produced a Barolo from this site in the 1970’s.
Aging requirements of Ghemme? Riserva?
- Ghemme: minimum 34 months, including a minimum 18 months in wood and 6 months in bottle from November 1 of the harvest year
- Ghemme Riserva: minimum 46 months, including a minimum 24 months in wood and 6 months in bottle from November 1 of the harvest year
Aging requirements of Gattinara?
- Gattinara: minimum 35 months, including 24 months in wood, from November 1 of the harvest year
- Gattinara Riserva: 47 months, including 36 months in wood, from November 1 of the harvest year
Where is Roncaglie in Barolo? What are the two subzones?
La Morra
- Roncaglie Soprano
- Roncaglie Sottano
Where is Rocche dell’ Annunziata located?
3 producers?
La Morra
Paolo Scavino
Lorenzo Accomasso
Rento Ratti