Italy’s spectacular North West

Age is everything for the family-owned and run winery of Pio Cesare. The winery was founded over a century ago, in 1881 by Cesare Pio, and is now run by his descendants, the Boffa family. And the winery sits squarely on top of ancient Roman walls in the heart of the town of Alba. With seventy hectares spread across the region, Pio Cesare have access to superior terroir. This, coupled with their traditional production methods, results in some of the most classic, age worthy wines in the region. 

This generous, wine-loving family are situated in the tiny village of Vergne in the commune of Barolo, one of the highest points in Piedmont. Surprisingly, given their access to great terroir, the estate was only founded in 1972. Patriarch Aldo started the estate, naming it after his dad, Giuseppe Domenico, and now it’s run alongside his three children, Giuseppe, Francesca, and Isidoro. The high altitude of many of the vineyards means that the grapes ripen later than anywhere else in Piedmont. When this fresh, slow-ripening fruit is pressed used careful winemaking, it delivers some of the most elegant Barolos you’ll find. They’re Barolos for Burgundy lovers.

Unlike most Piedmont producers where the vineyards are spread over a large area, away from the producer’s home and cellars, the Cavallotto family home and cantina is surrounded by their own vines. This hillside vineyard is called Bricco Boschis. In the hands of these three siblings, with its range of exposures and perfectly tended vines, it leads to some of the greatest Barolos out there. While the wines are traditional expressions of Nebbiolo, the Cavallottos have always been trailblazers in other ways. They were some of the first to experiment with organic viticulture during the 1970s; neighbours thought they were mad. They were also one of the first estates in the whole of Barolo to bottle and sell their wines themselves, in 1948. Over 60 years on, they’re still one of the most sought-after producers in the region.

Owner Alessandro Locatelli has run this welcoming estate in La Morra since the 1980s. But its history stretches back further, to 1841, when Luigi Costamagna first sold the wines produced in his vineyards. The early twentieth century was a struggle: many of the estate’s vineyards were sold off, and they simply made wine for the family. So it was only in the 1960s that Alessandro’s parents, who bought the property, made wine to sell. He’s ably continued their work. His wines receive consistently impressive scores from the critics, while he maintains remarkably reasonable prices. And, he’s opened up the winery to visitors, with a few exclusive rooms upstairs for those who wish to enjoy the sweeping views of vineyards from La Morra’s greatest heights. 

Winemaker and avid basketball player Enrico DellaPiana and his sister Jole have taken on Cantina Rizzi from their parents, and move from strength to strength at the helm of this family-run domaine. Some forty years ago, their father Ernesto had decided to leave the city of Turin, and return to the family’s lands in the Langhe, seeking a more traditional, simpler life. The Rizzi cru is the historic land of the domaine, and one of their benchmark Barbarescos, as well as their namesake. These are incredible value Barbarescos, that shouldn’t be missed. 

Castello di Verduno is one of the historic estates of the commune after which it is named. Winemaker Mario is fortunate to work with the grapes from top spots, which in a Grand Cru system would undoubtedly be top rank, not only including Monvigliero in Verduno in the Barolo zone but also Rabaja in Barbaresco. From their ten hectares they promote Barolo and Barbaresco made in the traditional way with long fermentations, use of old Slavonian oak casks and ample ageing for the wines. They’ve also taken the initiative to work with Pelaverga, a rare and ancient native grape, demonstrating the seriousness of their commitment to the region.

Guido Porro’s tiny winery has been passed from father to son for four generations. However, it was as late as the 1980s when they started bottling their own Barolos rather than sell the grapes on to a local cooperative. When Guido took over the estate in 1996 from his father, Giovanni, he went one step further. Recognising their remarkable good fortune at owning some of the best land in Serralunga, he decided to bottle wines from different vineyards separately under their respective ‘crus’. They’re perfect for anyone who loves traditional Barolo, because Guido isn’t beholden to trends, and because they’re so terroir-driven. He uses large, fifty year old Slovenian oak barrels, which are mostly neutral by now, and lets his wines age as long as they need.

Ubiquitous on the top restaurant lists of Italy, Almondo are revered by their peers for the quality of their Arneis, an aromatic white grape that’s equally at home as an aperitif or with food. The Almondo family has lived in Montà in Roero for more than 600 years. Today, it’s run by brothers Stefano and Federico alongside their father Domenico, who inherited the family estate (named after their grandfather, Giovanni) in 1980 when it was a mixed fruit farm. However, he’d spotted the potential of the land’s complex soils and southern aspects, so he ripped out the family’s prized cherry orchards and planted vines instead.  They’re now widely considered the greatest producer of Arneis, and by extension one of the great white wine producers of Italy. And their reds are surely the best in the region.

Lalù takes its name from best friends Lara Rocchetti & Luisa Sala. They were born in Torino, but met in Pollenzo at the University of Gastronomic Sciences in 2010, where they ended up submitting a joint thesis on how to build a carbon-neutral cantina. After time working abroad, both separately, and together in Burgundy at Comtes Lafon and with Cecile Tremblay, they started their own estate. With a tiny production, and the 2020 just the second release of their Barolo, these shouldn’t be missed.

Elio Ottin only started bottling his own wines in 2007, having previously sold all his grapes, but already he and his son have risen to the very pinnacle of this beautiful mountain region. They still keep a herd of cows (from which they make delicious cheese) and still grow apples for the local cooperative. Indeed, theirs must be one of the most intense harvest periods we’ve come across: during one week in September the family can be harvesting grapes, picking apples, and bringing their herd down from the high, summer alpine pastures. Their wines are crystalline and pure, and some of the most soulful mountain wines you’ll find, anywhere.

Elio Grasso is one of Piedmont’s most famous names. The estate is a true family affair. The baton was passed seamlessly from dad Elio to son Gianluca a few years ago, but the elder Grasso continues to have an active input in the estate (and always tastes with us when we visit). Even their stunning cellar was designed by Elio’s architect brother. They craft some of the most expressive Nebbiolos we know, from tiny, remarkable plots in the commune of Monforte d’Alba. These wines are so highly sought after throughout the world, there’s not much to go around. They’re always one of the very first from our range to sell out.