About the Wine

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, overlooking the Alps.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: 2 Years in used Slavonian Oak casks

Tasting notes:100% Nebbiolo. The Gattinara best expresses the classic qualities of the appellation; it is a wine with marked minerality and complexity. Deep ruby red in color with garnet reflections. On the nose, aromas of red fruits of strawberry, cherry, plum, and licorice with hints of vanilla and leather. Full-bodied palate, with tight tannins and spice culminating in a long and smooth finish. Outstanding with red meat, game, and hard cheeses. This wine can age 15-20 years no problem.

Reviews

Packaged in that trademark bottle that feels so good in the palm of your hand, the Travaglini 2016 Gattinara offers aromas of forest berry, wild rose, tar, and licorice, and there's a slightly exotic aroma as well that hints at Asian spice or church incense. It's a very faint accent that appears as the wine opens slowly in the glass. There is beautiful harmony and complexity here, and you can pick up on that slightly sweet note of peach or sun-dried apricot that I associate with Nebbiolo from the Gattinara appellation. This is a classic expression that shows the firmness and acidity to promise a smooth future aging process. Production is big with 180,000 12-bottle cases produced. ~93 Robert Parker

Beautiful freshness and poise to this Gattanara with nutmeg, dried rose petals, saffron, and cinnamon. A finely constructed structure follows with velvety, steely tannins, and a spiced, chewy finish. Drink from 2021. ~ 93 James Suckling

This elegantly perfumed wine opens with aromas of wild cherry, dried thyme, wildflowers and underbrush, offering savory spice notes. The palate shines with a balance between ripe red fruits and savory, earthy flavors leaning toward iron, finishing with supple tannins and bright acidity. Drink now–2035. ~92 Wine Enthusiast

Sparkling garnet red. Precise nuances of cherries and cinnamon on the nose, with leather and forest floor in the aftertaste. Well balanced on the palate, with a fine acidity spectrum, well-integrated tannins, long and juicy finish. ~91 Falstaff

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