2017 Travaglini Gattinara Riserva DOCG Piedmont

The Travaglini family has owned land in Gattinara since the beginning of the 19th century. The vines here are some of the most spectacular in the world, with the Alps in the backdrop.The family farmed a few hectares of land and produced wine for local consumption. The small winery started with Clemente Travaglini, who was succeeded by his son Arturo. It was not until 1958 however, when Arturo’s son, Giancarlo, established the eponymous Travaglini Estate Winery. It was Giancarlo who recognized a greater potential in Gattinara and executed groundbreaking changes in his vineyards and cellar, unseen before in the appellation. He pioneered research into improving viticultural methods, such as high-density planting, 100% hand-harvesting, and Guyot vine training; today commonly practiced throughout the Appellation. His passion for Nebbiolo helped raise the profile of Gattinara, a commitment that has been carried on through the generations.

Driven by a passion for exceptional Nebbiolo, the Travaglini family has been producing remarkable, limited-production wines from their eponymous estate in Gattinara for four generations. Gattinara plays an important role in Italian viticulture, but until a couple of decades after the turn of the century, this beautiful region of Alto Piemonte was nearly forgotten. A winemaking region older than Barolo, Gattinara covered almost 600 hectares by the end of the 1800s, making it one of the largest in Northern Europe. The phylloxera plague, coupled with a devastating hail storm in 1905, completely destroyed the region, and wine production in Gattinara was abandoned.

This small appellation lies in the rocky foothills of the Monte Rosa range, where ventilating winds blow down from the nearby Alps. Soils are rocky and rich in porphyry, granite, and iron, imparting a reddish color in the soil. Similar in composition to the Alps, Monte Rosa’s sedimentary rocks is highly acidic, due to low levels of calcium carbonate and magnesium, and an absence of calcium. Vines grown in this rare soil produce grapes with a unique flavor profile, as well as high acidity and tannins. Its northern, mountainous location experiences a continental climate, with very cold winters, warm, sunny summers, and a strong diurnal temperature shift.

If you love Nebbiolo, you must try the Nebbiolo that is grown in the foothills of the Alps. The northern versions in and around Carema and Gattinara are the most Pinot Noir-esque in that they are more refined, lighter in body, with redolent elegance.

Aging: 40 months in oak barrels. 

100% Nebbiolo. Deep garnet red color. On the nose, delicate scents of violets and cherries with traces of black pepper. Rich and refined on the palate, filled with red fruit, spice, raisins and smooth tannins; long-lasting and juicy finish. Serve with grilled or roasted meat, hearty stews and flavorful cheeses.

Red made exclusively from Nebbiolo grapes, aged for 40 months, partly in French oak barrels and partly in Eastern European oak barrels. Another great vintage of this wine, which shows typical floral notes, of dried herbs and sweet spices involving its ripe red fruits at the right point, which appear both on the nose and in the mouth. Still young, it has vibrant acidity and firm tannins with a chalky texture, which support the wood contribution, giving a certain fluidity and balance to the wine. Powerful and structured, but also refined and precise, it's great now, but it has everything to get even better in the next 20 years. Be patient with it in the glass or bottle, so that it shows all its layers of aromas and flavors. ~94 Revista Adega

Bright garnet red. Violets and rich sour cherries on the nose, some leather in the background. On the palate with strong tannins, fresh and juicy, dense and with a good draw, long finish. ~93 Falstaff

Crushed strawberries, wild berries and wild herbs define the aromas of this northern Piedmont red from Gattinara. Mouthfilling with a bold tannic structure shaping the palate to yield fewer dried cherry flavors and more savory herbs and spiced tea on the lifted and earthy finish. ~91 Wine Enthusiast

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