Producers Flashcards
Azelia
Castiglione Falletto
- Est. in 1920 by Lorenzo Scavino. In 1967, Alfonso Scavino (son of Lorenzo) took the reins of the estate and bottled the first wines under the Azelia name.
- Now run by the 3rd and 4th generations, namely by Luigi and Lorenzo.
- Luigi Scavino is the cousin of Enrico Scavino of Paolo Scavino winery, and the two share ownership of the famed Fiasco hill.
- Total production is around 6,000 cases per year.
- Cover crops are sown between the rows of vines, the grass is mowed and the soil is not tilled. There is very careful use of SO2 in the wines.
Borgogno
Riserva
Barolo
- founded in 1761, Giacomo Borgogno e Figli is among the oldest names associated with wine in the Langhe region.
- Cesare Borgogno changed the name of the estate in 1967 to Giacomo Borgogno e Figli.
- In 1955, the French Institut des Appellations d’Origine took legal action against Borgogno, claiming that the name was unfair competition for the wines of Burgundy (Borgogna in Italian).
- Big stylistic focus on cuvee bottlings rather than cru bottlings!! Like Mascarello, Borgogna believes blending the exceptions cru sites in Barolo creates a more harmonious and balanced expression of Barolo.
- Long maceration & extended aging…. longevity!
- Calling card: vintage Barolo that predates WWII. The family still implements the unusual corporate policy of putting away stocks of good vintages in bottle and releasing them more than two decades later.
Elvio Cogno
‘Bricco Pernice’
Ravera, in the Novello Commune
- Elvio used to work for Marcarini at La Morra, and left in 1990 to start his own operation in Ravera.
- 7,000 cases annually
- Valter Fissore and Nadia Cogno (son in law and daughter of Elvio) cultivate indigenous varieties with organic vineyard practices and low yields.
“Bricco Pernice”- a Barolo DOCG. Bricco Pernice is named for the rock on which courting partridges build their nest. “Pernice” translates to “partridge,” “Bricco” is a hill. made from the finest vineyard in Novello in the most historic part of the Ravera cru. The label is designed by Elena, Elvio’s granddaughter.
Aldo Conterno
‘Bussia’
‘Cicala’
‘Colonnello’
‘Granbussia’ Riserva
Monforte d’Alba
- The late Aldo left his brother at his father’s cellar (the legendary Giacomo Conterno estate) in 1969 to pursue his own winemaking interests.
- Aldo was known for making instigating a rebirth of Modern day Barolo, not as tannic and more accessible in youth. Polished and beautifully expressive Barolos, now made by Aldo’s two sons.
- Strong belief to Slavonian Botti rather than French Barrique.
‘Bussia’- blend of the various estate-owned vineyards in Bussia from 50 year old vines. 1,247 feet above sea level. Classic and approachable bottling, with longevity.
‘Cicala’- Spicy & structured Barolo with rich fruit. Calcarious soil in this vineyard with higher than usual amounts of iron.
‘Colonnello’- made from a vineyard that according to local legend was named after a colonel in Napoleon’s army who bought the hillside in 1797 because he loved wines produced there. Most elegant and floral of Aldo’s single vineyards.
‘Granbussia’ Riserva- the Barolo Reserve Granbussia is produced by blending grapes from the oldest vines, from the Romirasco, Cicala, and Colonnello, before fermentation starts, in the following percentages respectively: 70% - 15% - 15%. The Granbussia remains in the cellar for at least 9 years before commercialization. It is produced exclusively in the best years and in limited quantities.
Giacomo Conterno
‘Cascina Francia’
‘Degli Amici’ Riserva
‘Monfortino’
Serralunga d’Alba
- Long-lived, traditional, and structured Barolos spanning three generations of Conternos: Giacomo, Giovanni, and Roberto.
- Southwest exposed vineyards and high elevation (1,214 feet above sea level).
- Fementaion in conical wooden vats rather than stainless.
- 15 years ago also introduced large, neutral Austrian casks for aging alongside the Slavonian casks.
‘Cascina Francia’- Started being produced in the 1970s.
Their first purchased vineyard site.
‘Monfortino’- The Conterno crown jewel, Monfortino, is not only arguably the greatest Barolo; it was also the very first Barolo made in what has come to be known as the classic style. At the time that Roberto Conterno’s grandfather Giacomo served in World War I, Barolo was generally sold in either cask or demijohn, meant for early drinking. So he started making Monfortino in 1920, a Barolo with incredible aging potential.
Fontanafredda
‘La Rosa’
‘Falletto’
Serralunga d’Alba
- Started in 1878 by Count Emanuele Guerrieri of Mirafiore, son of the king of Italy, Vittorio Emanuele II, and Countess Contessa Rosa di Mirafiore.
- One of Barolo’s oldest and most storied properties, as a magnificent estate surrounded by quiet woods.
- 110 hectares of land, but also the largest contiguous estate in the denomination. The winery also sources grapes from hundreds of growers.
‘La Rosa’- The calling card of the estate. Named after the King’s mistress (& baby mama) Rosa, but also derived from the wild roses that bloom along the walls of the farmhouse crowning the hill. Owned entirely by Fontanafredda, it is lower than most of Serralunga’s vineyards and harvested 7 days earlier than other sites. Structured Barolos that are intensely floral and aromatic. Aged in barrique, 50% new.
‘Falletto’- higher elevation and more structured.
Bartolo Mascarello
Barolo
-Extremely traditional! Radically so. Opposed to all recent changes in Barolo.
“I don’t make wines with fantasy names. I don’t make crus, I don’t make wine in barriques, my wines don’t have perfume of vanilla and Limousin oak. I’m the last of the Mohicans.”
- He fermented with the indigenous yeasts in concrete vats without temperature control, allowing the season to leave its full imprint. Submerged cap, rather than punching down.
- Blends always, rather than single vineyards.
- Passed away in 2005, and his daughter Maria Teresa is at the helm, adhering to her father’s practices through and through.
Giuseppe Mascarello
‘Monprivato Ca d’Morissio’
Barolo
-Mauro Mascarello has been the winemaker for the Giuseppe Mascarello estate since the late 1960s, the last remaining giant of the great Barolo generation that included Giovanni Conterno and Bartolo Mascarello. And like them, Mauro is a traditionalist dedicated to long fermentations and aging in old botti.
‘Monprivato Ca d’Morissio’- In 1983, having made several great Barolos from Monprivato, Mauro began replanting a two-acre section of the vineyard, using a Nebbiolo clone originally planted in Monprivato in 1921 by his grandfather Morissio. Mauro theorized that this clone—of the Michét subvariety—had become uniquely adapted to the Monprivato terroir. Mauro’s goal was to produce a super-riserva Barolo called Cà d’Morissio.
Today, Cà d’Morissio stands next to Giacomo Conterno’s Monfortino and Giacosa’s Rocche del Falletto Riserva as the greatest of all traditionally made Barolos.
Massolino
‘Parafada’
‘Vigna Rionda’
Serralunga d’Alba
- Founded in 1896 by Giovanni Massolino. Giovanni was one of the founders of the Consortium for the Defence of Barolo and Barbaresco.
- Known for his single vineyard wines, which we have.
‘Paradada’- a vineyard in Serralunga, with 55 yeard old vines. South facing slopes.
‘Vigna Rionda’- a single vineyard in Serralunga, with traditional aging and meant for long aging. More concentrated.
Oddero
‘Rocche di Castiglione’
Barolo
-1878, first bottled by Giacomo Oddero. Cultivates 35 hectares of the best cru of the Langhe and Asti territories.
‘Rocche di Castiglione’- Rocche di Castiglione is a beautiful narrow vineyard on top of the “Rocche”, whose meaning is “cliffs”. 250 meters above sea level, southeastern exposure, 100% in 20-hectoliter French oak barrels for 30 months.
Parusso
‘Bussia Vigne Rocche’
Barolo
- Family first bought land in 1901
- Parusso has pioneered the concept of micro-zoning soils based on the individual characteristics of each plot.
- Today, Parusso operates on 22 hectares of land, producing just over 100,000 bottles annually.
- Only indigenous grapes grown and planted.
Giacomo Fennochio
‘Villero’
Monforte d’Alba
- Five generations of Fenocchios have been producing wine from their holdings in the heart of the Bussia in Monforte d’Alba since 1894.
- he purchased prime parcels in some of the best crus in the Langhe – including Villero in Castiglione Falletto and Cannubi.
- minimalist, traditionalist, non-interventionist
Francesco Rinaldi
Barolo
- Founded in 1870, when Francesco Rinaldi inherited a vineyard and house in Barolo, inducing him to leave behind his work with the very large Mirafiore estate and set out on his own.
- no new oak, long macerations and long aging in large Slavonian oak botti prior to bottling.
- rancesco Rinaldi e Figli makes two non-cru denominated bottlings, one of Barbaresco and one of Barolo, made from a blend of different parcels. The Barolo is made from vineyards in the towns of Barolo, Castiglione Faletto and La Morra.
Giuseppe Rinaldi
‘Brunate-Le Coste’
‘Cannubi San Lorenzo-Ravera’
Barolo
“the least talked-about of the great old-style producers.”
- powerfully structured, hauntingly perfumed, very slow to mature and completely without concession to current fashion.
- he farms organically, ferments with the indigenous yeasts in his father’s and grandfather’s ancient tini—tall upright oak vats—without temperature control for a month, punches down by hand and ages in old botti grandi for 3 ½ years.
- Rinaldi is a fierce adherent to the tradition of blending Barolo from different sites. He has old-vine holdings in some of Barolo’s greatest crus,but today he makes no single-cru Barolo.
‘Brunate-Le Coste’- creating two blended wines from four crus that are strikingly different from each other. Rinaldi’s best known wine, Brunate-Le Coste is dark toned and powerful.
‘Cannubi San Lorenzo-Ravera’- more red-fruited and perfumed.
Luciano Sandrone
‘Le Vigne’
Barolo
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