Mauro Franchino

A ‘hidden gem’ if ever there was one, this tiny (3 hectare) estate produces delicate and cerebral Nebbiolo that truly captures the magic of Gattinara – a DOCG whose star is in the ascendant. Some two hours north of Barolo, Gattinara is characterised by its marginal climate and lean soils. Mauro is gradually handing over responsibilities to his nephew Alberto, who began working here full-time in 2018.

Located in a medieval courtyard on an anonymous sidestreet in Gattinara town, the winery is basic but charming and evidently very effective! Vinification in concrete is followed by two years’ maturation in botte of between twenty and fifty years old, to buff and burnish what might, historically, have been a rather austere wine, but is today a thing of rare beauty.