Antoniolo Gattinara Riserva

In 1940, a young man called Mario Antoniolo fell in love with a young woman from Gattinara. He was not from there, but nothing would come between him and his love. This is why he decided to stay where he was, in this northern Italian city, and buy the ancient vineyards of a 15th century monastery to start making wine. Today, this romantic story continues in Antoniolo Societá Agricola, one of Piedmont’s leading red wine producers, where they make Antoniolo Gattinara Riserva, a single-variety Nebbiolo reserva aged for three years in the barrel and one year in the bottle.

The family business is currently run by Lorella Zoppis Antoniolo and her brother Alberto, the third and latest generation of the family. For the moment these siblings, despite their great productions, are only a small part of the history of this area where the Romans planted the first vines around the city. Here the old vineyards, aged between 50 and 60 years old, grow on the south-facing slopes, at an altitude between 270 and 400 metres above sea level (very similar to the Andes). The climate is continental, with gravel soils of volcanic origin that are very rich in iron, carbonate, calcium and magnesium, where the Nebbiolo (known in the area as Spanna) grows and ripens beautifully.

The Antoniolo Gattinara Riserva grapes are macerated for about 20 days and fermented with their own yeasts in concrete tanks. This alcoholic fermentation is followed by spontaneous malolactic fermentation and aging in oak barrels for 36 months.

Only 20,000 bottles of Antoniolo Gattinara Riserva are produced. What to do with them is up to every drinker: either they can be kept in private cellars to see how they evolve over time, or they can be opened straight away to enjoy the very rich fruit. You decide!