Roero Riserva DOCG

Roero

Roero is a small paradise made up of sandy dunes in yellow ochre clay tones covered with green vineyards, all of which combine to create a magical and enchanted landscape.

The vineyard traditions in the Roero territory were the inspiration for this denomination and have their roots set deeply over time.

Roero is made from pure Nebbiolo grapes, which reach their apex in Barolo and Barbaresco, and in Roero produce a rare fine and elegant wine which has experienced great success over only a few years’ time.

The vineyard from which it comes is the oldest vineyard of Nebbiolo grapes owned by the company, planted in 1946 by Giovanni Demarie along with his brother when the latter returned from the war. Giovanni, 20 years younger, has known its brother on his return. This vineyard, therefore, still tells the story of two brothers among them unknown and a return home after six years of war and captivity.

The vineyard

Production area: Comune di Vezza d’Alba – Varasca vineyard
Height o.s.l.: 250 m
Sun exposure: sud
Vines per hectare: 2500
Farming: tradizional – guyot
Kg of grapes per hectare: no more than 80 quintals/hectar
Soil: with sandy infiltration
Year of implant: 1946
Wine per hectare: no more than 5.500 litres

Production Process

Vinification: alcoholic fermentation in steel
Fining: malolactic fermentation in steel or cement tanks.
Aging 18 months in French oak barriques
Size / Format: 0,75 lt. – 1,5 lt.
Ageing potential: up to 8 years after the harvest

Chemical Analysis

Alcohol vol. (%): 13.35%
Residual Sugar: 3.1 gr/lt
Total Acidity: 5.50 gr/lt
Volatile Acidity: 0.72 gr/lt
Total SO2: 105 mg/lt

The vine

Nebbiolo is the oldest indigenous red-grape vine of Piedmont and one of the noblest and most prestigious in Italy. Its name derives from ‘nebbia’, the Italian word for mist or fog: some say this is owing to the ‘misty’ look of its grapes, with their velvety covering, and others that it is because the late-ripening grape is often harvested during early autumn fogs.

Known also as ‘Queen of red grapes’ it is a finicky vine, requiring elaborate care and attention in order to thrive. It is precisely for this reason that it has known both heydays and moments of utter abandon in the past, although local producers have remained faithful to it through thick and thin, continuing to make the great wines it is capable of producing.

Nebbiolo is a demanding vine, needing exactly the right soil type, a south-facing hillside, pruning and training. A calcareous tufa-based soil is ideal for this vine that buds early – towards the middle of April – and ripens later than most other varieties, around the middle of October.

It suffers sudden changes in temperature but oscillations between day and night temperatures are an advantage during the grape ripening phase. For a correct formation of tannins in the grape skins, south or south-west facing hillsides are required, where spring frosts rarely occur.

The Nebbiolo vine produces strong powerful wines, rich in alcohol, that express their characteristics after a period of ageing. From the cultivation of Nebbiolo, Piedmont produces some of its greatest red wines, the pride of the Region.