I started work on my book, The Wines of Piemonte, for the Classic Wine Library in October 2019. The idea was to deliver the text for this 300-page book in three years. However, Covid 19 had other ideas. Fortunately, I was hugely helped by the growers who sent me samples during lockdown and were happy to be interviewed on Zoom. Since then I have been taking every chance to visit: a month in the autumn of 2021, a second week in Monferrato immediately after that, Vinitaly 2022 (where I virtually lived in the Piemonte pavilion), a spring tour of the regions under the Alps including Alto Piemonte in 2022 and a week in July of that year. Most recently I revisited Langhe and Monferrato in 14 action-packed days in mid-September. On this occasion, I managed to fit in 41 winery visits. My aims were two-fold:

• More depth in Barolo and Barbaresco (shorthand: the Langhe) including wineries that still believe in Barbera and Dolcetto
• Filling in gaps in Monferrato: the denominations included Barbera dell’Monferrato, Brachetto d’Acqui, Dolcetto d’Acqui, Gabiano and Rubino di Cantavenna, Cortese dell’Alto Monferrato and Malvasia di Castelnuovo Don Bosco. And to the west, Colline Saluzzesi.

The main takeaways

It has been a whirlwind of meetings with new and previously-visited producers, interspersed with the fine gastronomy of Piemonte. I now need to buckle down and write the remaining one-third of the book. Hopefully, I have covered all the main themes of the book. In the meantime, what were the main takeaways from this fortnight?

• 2022, the year of drought
• There are some real artisanal heroes out there!
• Highlights in the Langhe
• Top wines and experiences of the visit?
• Alba DOC, really does exist, but it’s not what you think it is – see my next diary entry here

2022: a year of drought … but with a surprising finale

Virtually every producer in the Langhe and Monferrato revisited commented on the lack of meaningful rain this season. That in itself would not be a great problem were it not for the near-complete lack of rain and snow in the winter. As a result, the soil started dry and was baked by a hot and extremely dry summer.

The pictures tell a dramatic story. On the left, is the dry river bed of what should be the mighty River Po. It starts out under the peak of Monviso in Piemonte. It then crosses the whole of northern Italy before discharging in the Adriatic. The picture on the left is close to its source and doesn’t show the small stream that was running in September. On the right, you can see the white, parched earth of a vineyard in Nizza Monferrato and the struggling young vines. Newly planted vines have been the worst affected this year and some have not made it at all.

However, the big surprise is how plentiful the crop of grapes is on established and old vines. Some producers reported lower yields of up to 20 per cent. On the upside, there have been several benefits. There has been little need to do much canopy management or green harvest. And there has been little disease in the dry conditions. Nobody really understands why the harvest is as good as it is…except that the vine is a tough old beast. However, if there is little precipitation again this winter, the cumulative burden will undoubtedly be much greater across the Langhe and Monferrato.

There are some real artisanal heroes out there!

It would be so easy to visit only the well-known and successful producers. The Langhe in particular has a wealth of grape growing and winemaking talent. Because of worldwide demand for Barolo and Barbaresco, it also has money to invest in high standards, top-quality equipment and well-trained workers. Monferrato is more mixed with top names such as Michele Chiarlo or Braida, but also some real gems to be discovered. Here are a few who are principally working with their hands and producing outstanding results.

Cantina Iuli is run by ex-designer, Fabrizio Iuli. It was a micro-co-operative with three members. Nowadays, it is a private company run by Fabrizio who farms 17 hectares of vines. They are scattered among the fields and woods of Montaldo di Cerrina, forty minutes north of Asti. The relative isolation and high biodiversity make organic growing relatively simple. His father did make some DOC wines but Fabrizio says he is bored of all that. Rather than fill in the paperwork, he prefers to experiment with Baratuciat, a promising white from Val di Susa, and Slarina, grown a bit here in north-eastern Monferrato. He doesn’t think winemakers should run natural wine fairs and seems to be happy to plough his own, non-interventionist furrow. The wines are definitely worth looking out for. Especially noteworthy were the light and refreshing summer red made with Slarina and the spicy red-and-black fruit of his Barbera. And the labels tell you that Fabrizio did not entirely leave his design life behind him.

Cascina Cerutti is a more mainstream winery with a focus on excellent Moscato d’Asti and traditional method sparklers too. Gianmario Cerutti is a busy man, removing Barbera in the vineyard to plant more Moscato and consulting for the important Coppo winery on the vineyard side. He is also a man on a mission to persuade the world that top-quality Moscato d’Asti can age in bottle. Surì Sandrinet, Moscato d’Asti DOCG moves from the basket of fresh flowers and fruit of the current vintage back to honey, candied fruit, saffron and hay notes in the 2014. No, that is not a typo: this Moscato d’Asti was eight years old.

Any wine by Gianni Doglia is worth trying. It was entirely deserved that he won Gambero Rosso’s Winemaker of the Year for the whole of Italy in 2021. It gladdens my heart when a ‘simple’ unoaked Barbera, in this case, his Bosco Donne, wins a coveted tre bicchieri, focusing on fruit expression, freshness and drinkability, rather than power and oak. And we shouldn’t leave this section without a mention of Cascina Melognis, in far-flung Saluzzo, under the Alps leading to France. Yes, they are having fun experimenting with the super-trendy Pet Nat in white and rosé aimed at younger drinkers and they grow rare local varieties. But at the same time, they produce high-quality reds such as their Barbera/Chatus blend, Ardy, and a cracking, ripe apricot and red-fruited rosé, Sinespina.

Highlights in the Langhe

One of my aims for this set of visits was more depth in the Langhe, especially in Barolo and Barbaresco. I probably didn’t need more wineries to profile but deeper understanding was a top priority. Highlights in this regard were a long meeting with Professor Vincenzo Gerbi at Alba’s famous wine school. Prof Gerbi has taught generations of young people who now work in the top wineries, including Gianluca Columbo, influential young wine consultant. He has majored on science for two decades but now is blending that understanding with a turn to biodynamics and traditional approaches. Gianluca recounted how he had spent the day before chasing his newly-acquired but escaped sheep around the hillsides, to the amusement of his neighbours. Unfortunately, the sheep arrived before the fencing was in place. It seems that the sheep were also revisiting Langhe and Monferrato.

Top visits in the Langhe

In addition, of course, there were truly memorable visits to wineries as well. (However, I have to say that there were no disappointments in my visits.) Alfie Cavalloto is a genial winemaker who produces beautifully poised Barolo on his rare, single estate property in Castiglione Falletto. Every wine in the line-up is a textbook example of the category. Carlotta (agronomist) and Marta (enologist) Rinaldi of Giuseppe Rinaldi have inherited their father’s traditional wine cellar. This includes the magnificently simple and effective wall-mounted corkscrew, which I covet, see the pictures below. Every home should have one. More seriously, it was an honour to taste and talk through the wines, and to hear the history of the family.

In Barbaresco, I have not visited Bruno Rocca since 2010 in my blogger days but it was excellent to meet Luisa and her enologist brother, Francesco, in situ. As before, their father Bruno is never happier than in the vineyard. By contrast, there has been a big change of style here as the focus is now all about elegance and fruit purity, not about power and new oak. Marchesi di Gresy is also a rare single estate, in this case of 12 hectares, with aristocratic generosity to match. It was a privilege to taste some older wines, including Virtus 2010 (Barbera/Cabernet Sauvignon) and Merlot da Solo 2012, alongside a crisp and floral Dolcetto 2020 and the better known Barbarescos. A particular shout out for Camp Gros Martinenga, Barbaresco Riserva, 2016, 14.5% which somehow manages to combine lifted aromas with a medium body and then a huge underlying structure. Outstanding.

Top wines and experiences of the visit?

My highest score of these two weeks was for Cavallotto, Bricco Boschis, Vigna San Giuseppe, Barolo DOCG Riserva, 2016, 14.5%. Made from a 2.38 ha parcel of 55–60 year old vines, submerged cap for around 30 days, then aged for a full five years in Slavonian-oak old, large, casks. And of course from a great vintage. The wine in the glass is a touch deeper garnet that Vignolo Riserva, Cavallotto’s other riserva, super floral and ripe fruity entry (also more fragrant and fresh than Vignolo), so attractive now, suave, elegant. It has quite a firm finish which with the intense fruit bodes well for long ageing in the bottle; super long, drinkable and monumental at the same time, 18.5/20.

Architectural and design highlight? I have already written is some detail and posted many pictures of the spectacular L’Astemia Pentita. I love a traditional Piemontese cascina that melds perfectly and quietly into those remarkably beautiful hillsides. But there is something innovative and properly attention seeking about this injection from the world of design. See the pictures on my Facebook post about it.

For enthusiasm and integrity in making top quality wines at a reasonable price: Gianni Doglia and his sister Paola: bravissimi! Close second: Federico and Federica Scarzello, Barolo. And Maurizio Rosso of Gigi Rosso. I heard him give a really engaging, perfectly pitched, tour of his winery in fluent German to a group of German visitors, a model of how wine tourism should be done.

Biggest surprise? the range and quality of wines of Cascina Melognis in the completely overlooked Colline Saluzzesi DOC. Great wines and a close up view of Monviso, it’s worth the day out to find these hidden gems.

Many thanks for the support of Consorzio dell’Asti Docg and the Consorzio di tutela Barolo Barbaresco Alba Langhe e Dogliani for these visits; and for practical help and friendship from Stefano Ricagno and Gianpaola Baldi.