2021 Antoniolo - Gattinara DOCG Riserva (750ml)

Antoniolo has been producing wine in Gattinara since 1948, when Mario Antoniolo founded the estate and was the first grower in the DOCG to bottle single-vineyard crus rather than sell off fruit. His daughter Rossana took over in the early 1980s and brought a more modern outlook to the cellar, and today grandchildren Alberto and Lorella run the roughly eleven-hectare property, working the vineyards with minimal intervention.

Gattinara lies in Alto Piemonte, north of Barolo and Barbaresco near Lago Maggiore, where cooler temperatures and altitude give Nebbiolo a leaner, more alpine character. The fruit for this Riserva comes from vines between forty and fifty years old, planted on ancient volcanic soils rich in iron, on south-facing slopes that catch long hours of sun through a breezy, wide-swinging climate. Fermentation runs on indigenous yeasts in temperature-controlled tanks with several weeks of skin contact, and the wine then spends around thirty months in oak before release.

The result is savory and vibrant, with aromas of red fruit jam, rose petal, and a mineral, almost flinty edge, backed by silky tannins and real persistence. It has the structure to age but drinks well now alongside braised beef, aged pecorino, or grilled lamb chops.