Wines

Made from 100% Erbaluce (known locally as “Greco Novarese”), this wine is called “Unnamable” because according to DOC wine law, Erbaluce may only give its name to a label when grown in the Canavese. The Rovellotti family’s Erbaluce is different in style from our grower in Canavese, Ferrando, and the contrast seems to attest to the skills of both growers, as well as to the versatility of the grape. From the Il Criccone vineyard, harvested in late September, vinified in stainless steel with a 12 hour maceration on the skins to give phenolic character to the finished wine, this is an earthy yet crisp, medium-bodied example of the grape, with notes of lemon peel, wild herb, and area’s volcanic soil.

Vespolina plays the primary supporting role to the great Nebbiolo-based wines of the Alto Piemonte. Rovellotti’s Vespolina hails from is a 0.4 hectare plot in the Ronco al Maso vineyard, with full southern exposure in the commune of Ghemme. The grapes are harvested in the third week of September. Fermentation takes place in stainless steel to preserve the zesty, fresh, wild berry fruit of the grape, with an eight day maceration on the skins, giving the wine a fine and distinct tannic structure. The wine then spends three months in botti, and is bottled the spring following harvest. Enjoy with a light chill!

From the Valplazza vineyard in the Barragiola section of southern Ghemme. Following total destemming, wine ferments spontaneously in stainless-steel tanks. A quintessential expression of Nebbiolo from the Alto Piemonte, with brisk acidity, gripping tannins, and notes of red cherry and raspberry. While delicious in its youth, this wine gains gravitas and profundity with a few years of bottle age.

The “Chioso dei Pomi” vineyard is in the heart of Barragiola, 3 hectares in size with a south-southwest exposure.  The ultimate blend of grapes for the Ghemme is 85% Nebbiolo and 15% Vespolina. The grapes are fermented separately in stainless steel cuves and the fermentation extends for a minimum of ten days with frequent “remontage”. The malolactic fermentation occurs mostly in barrel. The wine is aged in Slavonian oak casks for the first twelve months and then is racked into smaller five hectoliter barrels for an additional eighteen months. The various parts of the wine are assembled and blended together in the spring of the third year.

The grapes for the Riserva are sourced from the southernmost section of Baraggiola and the blend is 90% Nebbiolo and 10% Vespolina.  The best of the Vespolina is selected for the Riserva and is normally harvested at the end of September; the Nebbiolo is harvested in mid-October and is fermented separately from the Vespolina.  The cuvaison extends for a minimum of ten days and frequently longer depending on the structure of the vintage.  The malolactic occurs partially in stainless steel and partially in barrel.  The Riserva is aged for two years in large Slavonian oak barrels of 50 hectoliter size; then the wine is racked into smaller barrels (5 hectoliters) of French oak origin for an additional 12 to 18 months.