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Our Wines
Colors, notes, stories to tell
Our Wines
Through our youthful range, discover the flavors that single grape varieties develop in our region: aromatic character and tipicity of flavors. If you wish to be surprised, don’t miss our variation on theme.
The wines of our age-worthy range combine the long aging potential of Nebbiolo with the territorial features of Alto Piemonte, like cool climate, acidic soils and site-specific geological knowledge: the perfect mix of elements to fear no comparison when it comes to opening library vintages.
Our youthful range
doc Colline Novaresi Bianco Innominato
This wine is produced with the only permitted white grape variety in the production of PDO (DOC) white wines in Alto Piemonte.
Why is it called Innominato?
Due to Italian wine law, producers in Alto Piemonte are not allowed to state the name of this particular white grape variety either on Italian labels or on their official website.This is why you need to click on this link to find out what it is (how frustrating!). While it might make you smile, this is not a joke. The link will direct you to the «Disciplinare di Produzione», the law that states the requirements this wine needs to fulfill to be classified as PDO (DOC) Colline Novaresi Bianco.
Back to serious stuff!
One of the most exciting things about Italy is that wherever you go, there are hundreds of obscure but regionally important grape varieties that taste like «nothing else you’ve ever had before». Our Unnamed variety is unique not only in its primary flavors: it’s also really exciting because with a few years in bottle it will develop several layers of complexity. When young, the wine has aromas of citrus, ripe green fruit and just ripe stone fruit, a touch of fresh grass and a distinct aromatic note, reminiscent of wet stones. After 3-4 years, the aromas of citrus and stone fruit evolve to further ripeness, a touch of smoke develops and the wet stone character picks up a very gentle petrol hint. This wine is a relatively new addition to our range, as our first vintage is 2018. This means we have only been able to monitor its development over the course of 5 years. We are really excited about it and we would also love feedback from you.
doc Colline Novaresi Nebbiolo (rosato)
The next wine in our primary and youthful range is our (deep pink) Nebbiolo Rosato.
There is a youthful, delicate side to Nebbiolo: at harvest time, as the grapes are crushed, the air is filled with notes of oranges, fresh rose petals, peaches and wild strawberries. All these pretty aromas fade away almost immediately when fermentation starts.
As ambassadors of Alto Piemonte, we want people to enjoy every nuance of Nebbiolo, including this one. This is why we have trapped these fresh and fragrant aromas in the bottle, so that through our youthful range you can enjoy the experience of Nebbiolo in its totality, not just its classic reds.
As this rosato hits the palate, you will recognize some of the typical traits of the grape, like high acidity and a very gentle tannic hint.
This is one of our most food friendly wines!
doc Piemonte Barbera
Barbera is the house wine across Piemonte. Throughout the region, this grape variety is produced in a wide range of styles. Ours reflects what is more typical for a subalpine climate: medium body, high acidity, medium alcohol and fresh notes of red fruits and black pepper. The fermentation in classic concrete casks adds a touch of earthiness that you will love!
A perfect glass of red for an informal occasion.
doc Colline Novaresi Nebbiolo Campi Raudii
This fresh and youthful expression of Nebbiolo displays some of the most typical cooler climate features of the variety, along with flavors that come from Alto Piemonte traditional winemaking techniques, such as fermenting and resting red wines in concrete tanks. Up to 15% of the blend traditionally can be composed of Vespolina, adding spiciness and a deeper color. The result is a medium bodied red with floral aromas, spicy notes, red fruits and a very balanced tannic structure, thanks to the subalpine climate which definitely helps the latter and enhances freshness through acidity.We suggest drinking this wine within 5-8 years from its vintage, unless it’s one of our library release versions! In that case, just be ready for the fun that comes from extra layers of complexity and the potential to develop more.
A Variation on Theme
Vino Spumante di Qualità Metodo Classico Rosato
A very aromatic style: intense fresh fruit, complex aromas of yeast, bread and pastry; a delicate creamy mousse and vibrant acidity.
We started producing this wine in small quantities for our private stock and family occasions: it had to taste great for us. Nothing else mattered.
Comfort foods and drinks are often reminiscent of our past and our roots. Their flavors are reassuring and bring back the joy of lovely memories, like the perfume of those newly pressed grapes that filled the air when we were playing around the winery as children.
That specific «fruitier» aroma only lasted very briefly; as the fermentation progressed, it changed to a more pungent «red wine» bouquet. Was it possible to trap that specific flavor in a bottle? After some research we decided to follow basic winemaking logic: fine lees can preserve a wine’s freshness. Why not try a combination of aromatic extraction and fine lees?
Base wine: the pink juice is racked off the skins when it reaches the peak of extraction of the desired aromas (oranges, fresh rose petals, peaches and wild strawberries); fermentation continues at cool temperatures. This is how we preserve the intensity of the fruit in the base wine.
In order to maximize freshness, the second fermentation is started with grape juice and its own yeast strains, which are weaker than those typically used for triggering second fermentation in most sparkling wines.
As a result, the fermentation stops naturally leaving an average of 8 g/l of sugar (brut) and a very creamy mousse.
The wine is then topped up with bottles from the same batch, with no other addition.
Bottle aging: the wine is aged on its lees for several months before disgorgement, with batches that are up to 60 months on lees. In this case, the fruit remains astonishingly fresh, while the lees aromas gain extra complexity.
Needless to say, after a while friends and family started to ask for more and more bottles…
We are not allowed to state the grape variety on the label or on the website because this is not a PDO/DOC wine (there is no PDO for traditional method Sparkling wine in Alto Piemonte at the moment).
The age-worthy range
doc Colline Novaresi Spanna
«Spanna» can be used to identify Nebbiolo only when you grow it in Alto Piemonte: a grape, a wine and its region combined in one name. Spanna truly tastes like the terroir it comes from.
A typical Vallana Spanna is very floral on the nose (rose, violets), has aromas or red fruits (cranberry, redcurrant, cherry), notes of black pepper and licorice, followed by smoke and charred wood. After a few years (8-10) the wine develops aromas of forest floor, leather and tobacco.
Under the name Spanna, our winery brought Alto Piemonte to global attention more than 70 years ago.
doc Colline Novaresi Spanna Bernardo Vallana
A tribute to Bernardo Vallana, a winemaker that many people respect as the person who proved that Alto Piemonte is one of best places in the world for fine, age-worthy Nebbiolo. His vintages of Spanna, starting with the legendary 1947, are out there to prove it, setting a trend which continues to inspire nowadays.
For each vintage, Bernardo would pick his favorite Spanna and label it with the picture of his own fireplace, the very same one that you can still admire today in our tasting room. The «Fireplace Spanna» (Spanna del Camino) was his private wine, for family and friends.
We have re-established this tradition to honor our grandfather’s memory, following his footsteps by picking the Spanna with the highest concentration of flavors and firmest structure, definitely designed to develop.
Boca doc
The vineyards of Boca DOC, a single village in Alto Piemonte, lie within the caldera of the fossilized Valsesia Supervolcano. The soil type here is unique in the world in both its complexity and composition, to the extent that the area has been awarded the status of Unesco Geopark.
The hills of Boca are composed predominantly of fossilized volcanic rock, which is very crumbly and rich in iron. It only takes a walk in the vineyards to realize that the roots of the vines have to dig their way through the rocks to find water and nutrients. This type of stress is one of the secrets behind the typical aromas that Nebbiolo expresses within this appellation.
Complexity and unique aromas in this wine are also the result of savvy appellation rules: Nebbiolo content is set at min. 70% to a max. 90%, as Boca has historically been the home of a very high number of native grape varieties, some of which are still unidentified. The aspect and shape of the hills throughout the appellation zone is quite uneven, so farmers would «tailor» their planting choices to the very best spot for each single grape variety. Nowadays, the rules have narrowed down the permissible «blending companions» to a combination of Vespolina and/or Uva Rara (10% to
30%). When our climate was cooler, Uva Rara was used as a source of sugar to help the wine have more alcohol and body. Nowadays, this seems no longer necessary so we have gradually replaced it with Vespolina: a very spicy child of Nebbiolo. In the vineyards, it is the coolest spots that best suit Vespolina and its peppery character, while Nebbiolo thrives in the warmest positions.
The microclimate has an impact too: Boca is the northernmost single village appellation in Alto Piemonte. In consequence, the grapes are the slowest and the last to ripen. This «slower rhythm» contributes substantially to the formation of fine and rare aromatic compounds.
In the first 4-7 years the wine conveys fine floral aromas, red fruit, balsamic hints and distinctive iron notes, along with the spiciness added by Vespolina. 18 months in oak add complexity and contribute to a smoother tannic structure.
A further stage of evolution takes place when the wine is 8-10 years old: in this phase Boca develops aromas of leather, forest floor and tobacco. With time, the tertiary aromas get more and more complex.
Boca is a wine that can age for decades: those who are patient enough to wait will be greatly rewarded.
Gattinara docg
The vineyards of Gattinara Docg, a single village in Alto Piemonte, lie within the caldera of the fossilised Valsesia Supervolcano. The soil type here is unique in the world in both its complexity and composition, to the extent that the area has been awarded the status of Unesco Geopark.
The hills of Gattinara are composed predominantly of fossilized volcanic rock, which is very crumbly and rich in iron. It only takes a walk in the vineyards to realize that the roots of the vines have to dig their way through the rocks to find water and nutrients. This type of stress is one of the secrets behind the typical aromas that Nebbiolo expresses within this appellation.
Overall, the aspect of the vineyards the whole of the appellation is quite even, with a composition of south facing slopes which are just perfect to ensure the optimal environment for Nebbiolo. Amazing drainage and good ventilation contribute to make it a perfect spot.
The microclimate has an impact too: during the ripening period, especially from the second half of August, the grapes benefit from a very high diurnal temperature range. Warm, sunny days are followed by fresh, cool nights thanks to the cold masses of air that come down from Monte Rosa: the ideal situation to enhance strong and pure varietal aromas, adding structure, intensity and weight.
This explains why, even if the appellation rules allow a small amount of other local grape varieties, nowadays a Gattinara is typically 100% Nebbiolo: the microclimatic conditions are ideal to express strong and pure varietal character (while, in Boca, the situation favors finesse and delicate aromatic nuances).
When young, Gattinara displays aromas of rose and violet, notes of ripe wild strawberries and hints of mint or nettle. White pepper, licorice and notes of iron complete the primary bouquet, while 24 months in oak add further complexity and contribute to a smoother tannic structure. Bottle maturation can go on for decades and is a witness of the potential of Alto Piemonte.
In the best vintages, Boca and Gattinara fear no comparison: they transcend space and time.
With passion, care, flair and research we dedicate to you our message in a bottle: unum, verum, bonum.