As wine importers we specialise in small-scale heroes of viticulture who champion local, often indigenous grape varieties and who tell the story of their land through winemaking.
Family owned. Authentic.
Our producers are those that strive to transmit the concept of ‘terroir’, or a sense of place, through excellent agricultural practice, vineyard placement and sheer hard work.
Antoniolo ‘Osso San Grato’ Gattinara Riserva DOCG 2015
“Osso San Grato is unquestionably one of the great wines of the world.” - Antonio Galloni, Vinous
NEBBIOLO GREATS: ANTONIOLO
Established in 1948, Antoniolo is Gattinara’s most revered producer.
The 14 hectare winery is composed of 5 different vineyards and is currently run by the sister-brother combo of Lorella and Alberto. Their mother Rosanna is a legendary figure who was the first in the region to bottle single vineyard wines and produce rosato.
Their cru vineyards are Osso San Grato (a monopole), San Francesco and Castelle. They supply fruit for their standard Gattinara bottling, while the fruit for 'Juvenia' and their stunning rosato is sourced from the Borelle and Valferana crus. All wines undergo spontaneous, long and natural fermentation in concrete, fuelled by indigenous yeasts. There is no practice of forced extraction and the wines are not inoculated with bacteria or enzymes to spark malolactic fermentation. Antoniolo's Gattinara wines are all 'Riservas' - aged for four years (three in botti and one in bottle) before release. All their wines are 100% Nebbiolo and are purity incarnate; approachable now but with the structure and pedigree to age for decades.
Nebbiolo Grapes
“Capable of expressing the purest essence of site, vintage and producer style, Nebbiolo is without question one of the world’s elite red grapes. Skyrocketing prices and soaring demand make it increasingly difficult for consumers to find the best Barolos and Barbarescos. But the glories of Nebbiolo stretch far beyond those prestigious appellations.”
- Antonio Galloni, Vinous
WE ARE ALPINE NEBBIOLO SPECIALISTS.
NEBBIOLO: THE ETHEREAL GRAPE
WHY NEBBIOLO?
Nebbiolo is perhaps named for the fog (‘nebbia’) that typically shrouds vineyards in Piedmont in Autumn. Or could it be a reference to the white dusting found on the grape's skin? Either way, its juice has the power to vividly transmit place, season and those involved in its production via wonderfully long lived wines. The finest examples are characterised by beguiling aromas, whispering complexity and a structure built on linear acidity and grippy, assertive tannin. As a finicky, late ripening variety, it commands positioning on prime south facing slopes in Italy and, due to its vigour, requires strict management in the vineyard. It also buds early putting itself at risk of exposure to frost.
There is documented evidence that Nebbiolo has been grown and valued around Piedmont since the 1500s. Unlike another premier grape, Pinot Noir, there is scant evidence that Nebbiolo performs outside its native zones of Piedmont and Lombardy which further adds to its scarcity and mystique.
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