‘The only one who can make mistakes is me’<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
The winemaking here in Vezza d\u2019Alba is also very simple because, Fabrizio believes, it\u2019s \u201cthe best way to make good things. I always say, to make a good wine the most important work is done by the vineyard, the soil, the weather. The only one who can make mistakes is me.\u201d
The focus for Fabrizio is preserving the freshness and aromas from grapes growing in a high-altitude (350m), southeast-facing vineyard. The key to his, he says, is getting the grapes straight to the winery for a gentle pressing. Fermentation is at 16\u00b0C in a temperature-controlled stainless-steel tank. After fermentation, the wine remains on lees until it is bottled at the end of February. Fabrizio says: \u201cFirst year (it\u2019s) more fruity; second, third year more minerality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Porello Vini, in Canale, in the heart of Roero, has been in the hands of third-generation Marco Porello (above<\/em>) since 1994. Marco, who gained experience in Bordeaux and Tuscany before returning to the family estate, has a couple of twists for the grapes from his single-vineyard Camestri \u2013 the company\u2019s first Arneis vineyard, in the Crocetta MGA, planted about 50 years ago by Marco\u2019s grandfather.
Marco uses native yeasts, so fermentation in the 5,000-10,000L tanks is at a slightly warmer temperature (18-20\u00b0C) and lasts for about 20 days. He macerates about 20% of the grapes at 12\u00b0C for approximately 24 hours and ferments them separately, adding them back after two months for lees ageing until bottling.
The DOCG whites must be aged for at least four months; 16 months in the case of \u2018riserva\u2019 wines.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe reds<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Compared to its high-quality neighbours on the other side of the Tanaro River (Barolo and Barbaresco), the reds from the Roero appellation seem fresher, less tannic, more elegant, with a more distinct cherry flavour, and are definitely more affordable.
The Roero DOCG reds I tasted were made in a very conventional way: temperature-controlled fermentations in stainless-steel tanks at 28-30\u00b0C; MLF and ageing in oak barrels (32 months for \u2018riserva\u2019, 20 months for non-reserve reds).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Monchiero Carbone\u2019s most important wine is its Roero Riserva Printi, named after a single vineyard in the Sr\u00fc MGA. On the summit of Frailin hill are 4ha of Nebbiolo, while the lower part (1.5ha) hosts Arneis and Favorita.
The Monchiero family (above<\/em>) has been making Printi since 1997. The fermentation is always long and slow; maceration lasts for about 25 days for maximum extraction; MLF and ageing are in Burgundy barrels (30% new); and the wine stays in wood for 22-24 months. After bottling, the wine is stored in the cellar for about a year before being released on the market.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFor Giovanni Almondo\u2019s Roero Bric Valdiana 2016, the grapes come from a 1ha parcel in the middle of the Bric Valdiana cru, where the vines were planted by the current winemaker Stefano Almondo\u2019s father Domenico in 1991.
The grapes \u2013 50% crushed and 50% whole berries \u2013 were cold-soaked for three days prior to fermentation with native yeasts. The fermentation temperature peaked at 28\u00b0C during the 17 days of maceration.
\u201cThe pre-fermentative cold maceration and the whole berries approach is something unique to our red Roeros,\u201d Stefano tells me. \u201cThe idea rooted in this approach is to bring freshness.\u201d
He adds: \u201cWe decided to bottle the 2016 a little sooner than usual; after 18 months of big cask, we put it in bottle in May 2018.\u201d The Bric Valdiana bottling is usually made in August, just before the Arneis harvest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cantine Povero, family owned since 1837, has a new brand \u2013 Tenuta Laram\u00e8, after a family nickname \u2013 for its top line, replacing Tenuta Fratelli Povero.
The flagship for this line, Tumlin Roero DOCG, comes from a parcel of 3ha cultivated organically in the subregion of Loreto. Tumlin was the name of the family member who planted the vineyard in 1948.
The Povero family now owns 50ha of certified organic vineyards between the municipality of Cisterna d’Asti and Canale d\u2019Alba. Although belonging to Roero, it is located on the border with the first ridges of Monferrato.
For the Tumlin, the must ferments in temperature-controlled stainless-steel tanks at 28-30\u00b0C for 12 to 15 days. MLF takes place the following month at 20\u00b0C. The wine is aged for 18 months in 2,500L Slavonian oak. After bottling, the wine rests in the bottle for at least one year before being released.
The estate maintains the woods surrounding the estate to safeguard their biodiversity. \u201cThis year, we also planted a truffle ground with 300 new oaks, which in 10 years will give us delicious truffles, precious gems that together with wine best describe the magnificence of these lands,\u201d Lucrezia Povero tells me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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