Gattinara DOCG and the wines of Conterno-Nervi and Travaglini Estate Winery

Nebbiolo, the variety undergirding the Langhe's famed Barolo and Barbaresco wines, is considered Italy's most noble grape, primarily based on its performance in that region. The cultivar is, however, grown -- and referred to by other names -- in areas beyond the home of the "King of Wines." The table below shows the names by which the variety is known outside the Langhe-Roero regions and the associated planting sizes.

Region	Sub-Region	Variety Nomenclature	Planting Size (ha)
Langhe	Barolo	Nebbiolo	2098
	Barbaresco	Nebbiolo	716
Alba		Nebbiolo	1262.5*
Roero		Nebbiolo	139.5**
Alta Piemonte	Gattinara, Ghemme +	Spanna	884
	Val d’Ossola	Prunent	N/A
Lombardy	Valtellina	Chiavennasca	900
Valle d’Aosta	Donnaz, Arnand-Montjovet	Picotendro	25***
Sardinia	Gallura	Nebbiolo	52***

Compiled from Tong #16. *Author's estimate; ** author's estimate based 

on relative production; ***2004 data.

In the Alto Piemonte region,  the Nebbiolo grape-- called Spanna therein -- is also viewed fondly by "native" winemakers who embrace the fact that their wines differ markedly from that of their better-known brethren to the south. 

Alto Piemonte Wine Region (Source:skurnik.com)

I have been on a journey of exploration through the subzones of Alto Piemonte and continue in this post with a discussion of Gattinara DOCG.

Gattinara DOCG

The Gattinara wine region is a 105-ha wine zone encompassing the entirety of the municipality of Gattinara. The zone, which is older than Barolo, covered 600 ha at the end of the 1800s but was completely destroyed by phylloxera and the devastating 1905 hailstorm. The key characteristics of the region are detailed in the chart below.

Gattinara soils, as shown in the chart, are both acidic and rich in a variety of minerals and elements. The vines grown in this soil produce grapes "with a unique flavor profile" and high acidity and tannin levels.

Selected Estates: Nervi-Conterno and Travaglini Estate Winery

Conterno-Nervi

Roberto Conterno, one of the most influential Barolo producers, bought Nervi, the oldest officially recognized Gattinara winery, in 2018. Nervi was founded in 1906 by Luigi Nervi and its 28 ha includes the notable cru vineyards Molsino and Valferana as well as the top sites Garavoglie and Cassace. According to rarewineco.com:

The south-facing amphitheater of Molsino is one of Piedmont's great vineyards, revered since the 15th century as a source of Gattinara of both power and finesse. Valferana's open west-facing slopes can trace an even longer history, as documents dating back to 1231 attest. This cool terroir produces a very elegant and mineral Gattinara to complement the more potent Molsino.

Nervi was purchased from the family by the steel magnate Germano Bacciolone in 1991 and then sold to Erling and Katherine Alstrop in 2009 before finally making its way into the hands of Roberto in 2018. Operations are very traditional with pruning and harvesting done by hand and fermentation and aging in large oak casks.

Conterno-Nervi makes two single-vineyard wines from Molsino and Valferana, a cuvée using grapes from all four vineyards, and a Rosato from the same sources.

Travaglini Estate Winery

The Travaglini family has owned land in Gattinara since the 19th century wherein they farmed a few hectares of vines and produced wine for local consumption. A small winery was established Clemente Travaglini who was succeeded by his son Arturo who was in turn, succeeded by his son Giancarlo. Gtiancarlo established the Travaglini Estate Winery in 1958. He was also instrumental in viticultural and winemaking developments in the area through pioneering research into:

• High-density planting (up to 5000 vines/ha)
• 100% hand-harvesting
• Guyot training
• The use of barriques.

The estate today is 55 ha in size with 52 of those dedicated to vines. The majority of the plantings are Nebbiolo with some of the older vines being Vespolina and Bonarda. Vines are between 6 and 45 years of age.

All vines are trained Guyot and are planted facing south and southwest. Older vines are planted at 3500/ha while younger ones are deployed at 5000/ha. Vineyard elevation ranges between 320 and 420 m.

In addition to the Gattinara DOCG normale, the estate produces a Riserva and a cuvée (Tre Vigne) made from grapes sourced from three historical vineyards. Other Nebbiolo-based wines produced by the estate include a Coste delle Sesia Nebbiolo and a Metodo Classico Nebolé.

Two Wines from the Estates

I tasted a 2016 vintage from each of the estates.

2016 Nervi-Conterno Gattinara -- Hand-harvested. Gentle de-stemming and crushing followed by fermentation in stainless steel vats. Macerated for a minimum of 15 days post alcoholic fermentation. Malo in oak barrels. Aged for 30 months in large oak barrels.

Popped and poured. Darker in color than the Travaglini. Dark cherries, licorice, anise, herbs, and spice on the nose initially. Herbs, hint of shoe polish, juniper berry, black pepper with time. Spice on the palate, rose water, green herbs, round tannins on the palate initially. More textured with the passage of time. Weightier and increasing character. With additional time, earthier, dark red fruits, salinity, shoe polish, and dried herbs.

2016 Travaglini Gattinara -- Grapes crushed and macerated for 15 days in stainless steel tanks. Aged for three years (two of which were in Slovenian oak casks of different origins and sizes) before bottling. Spent three months in bottle before release on market.

Lighter in color than the Conterno-Nervi. Cherries, raspberries, rosemary and earth on the nose. Medium body with elevated acidity and chalky tannins. Lighter and brighter than the Conterno-Nervi.

©Wine -- Mise en abyme

Alto Piemonte: Where Nebbiolo is called Spanna

Nebbiolo is arguably Italy's noblest grape, renowned for its iconic manifestations in Barolo and Barbaresco, two of the world's best known and most beloved wines.But southern Piemonte, while the home of the best Nebbiolo wines, is not the only Piemonte growing region that has experience with the variety. In the Vercelli-Novara region of Alto Piemonte (shown in the red circle in the map below)  the Nebbiolo grape-- called Spanna therein -- is also viewed fondly by "native" winemakers, notwithstanding the fact that its wines differ markedly from that of its better-known brethren to the south. I cover the region and its wines in this post.

Figure1. Selected Alto Piemonte provinces
(Source:fassinomobilaire.com map; author modification)

The Vercelli-Novara region is home to nine wine zones, seven of which are exclusively red. These zones are illustrated graphically in the upper portion of Figure 2 and are fleshed out with selected facts in Table 1.

Figure 2. Piemonte wine regions with Vercelli-Novara red-wine
regions at the top.

Table 1. Selected characteristics of the Vercelli-Navara wine zones.

Wine Zone	Province	Coverage	Status Year	Size (ha)
Boca DOC	Novara	Boca plus parts of communes: -          Maggiora -          Cavallirio -          Prato -          Sesio -          Grignasco	1969	N/A
Gattinara DOCG	Vercelli		1990	100
Ghemme DOCG	Novara		1997	65
Sizzano DOC	Vercelli	Sizzano	1969	40
Bramaterra DOC	Vercelli	Communes of: -          Masserano -          Brusnengo -          Curino -          Roasio -          Villa del Bosco -          Sostegno -          Lozalo	1979	28
Fara DOC	Novara	Fara	1969	N/A
Lessona DOC	Biella	Commune of Lissano	1976	N/A
Colline Novaresi DOC	Novara	Ghemme DOCG; Fara and Boca DOCs	1994	N/A
Costa della Sesia DOC	Biella-Vercelli	Gattinara, Lessona, and Bramaterra DOCs	1996	N/A

In general, the zones experience cold, dry winters; mild, rainy springs; and hot summers. Their locations in the foothills of the Alps places them at the intersection of the temperate climate of continental Europe and the Mediterranean climate to the south while also providing protection from the cold north winds. The presence of neighboring Lakes Maggiore and Orta also provides a moderating influence on climate. High diurnal temperature variation between mid-August and mid-October is a key contributor to the acid retention that is a hallmark of the wines of the region.

The vineyards are situated on Ice-Age-origin morainic hills that stretch from the Alps almost to the Po Valley along the courses of the Ticino and Sesio rivers. These soils are rich in iron and other elements important for vine growth. Most of the greater Piemontese soils are alkaline but not so the soils of this region, thanks to the presence of porphyritic rock within the moraine. In general, the soils of Gattinara, Boca, and Bramaterra -- located, as they are, on the west side of the river -- are a mix of mostly acidic, porphyritic rock along with sand, clay, and iron deposits. East of the river, the soils of Ghemme, Boca, Sizzano, and Fara are primarily glacial moraines.

The Spanna-based wines produced in the region are detailed in Table 2 below. The DOC Costa della Sesia is a fallback appellation for the zones west of the Sesia River while Colline Novaresi is the fallback appellation for the zones to the east of the river.

Table 2. Spanna-based wines of the Vercelli-Novara region.

Wine	Style	Varieties	Minimum Alcohol (%)	Minimum Total Aging (Mths)	Min. Barrel Aging (Mths)	Min. Bottle Aging (Mths)
Boca DOC	Rosso Riserva Single-vyd	Sp (50-80%), UR and/or V (max 20%), C (max 30%) do. do.	12 12.5 12.6	34 46	18 24	NS NS
Gattinara DOCG	Rosso Riserva	Sp (min 90%), UR (max 10%), V (max 4%) do.	12.5 13	35 47	24 36	NS NS
Ghemme DOCG	Rosso Riserva	Sp (min 85%), UR and/or V(max 15%) do.	12 12.5	34 46	18 24	6 6
Sizzano DOC	Rosso Riserva	Sp (50-70%), UR and/or (30-50%), OA (max 10%) do.	12 12	22 34	16 24	NS NS
Bramaterra DOC	Rosso Riserva	Sp (50-70%), UR and/or V (max 20%), C (max 30%) do.	12 12	24 36	18 24	NS NS
Fara DOC	Rosso Riserva	Sp (50-70%), UR and/or (30-50%), OA (max 10%) do.	12 12.5	22 34	16 24	NS NS
Lessona DOC	Rosso Riserva	Sp (min 85%), UR and/or V(max 15%) do.	12 12	22 46	12 30	NS NS
Colline Novaresi DOC	Rosso Rosato Nebbiolo Single-vyd	Sp (min 30%), UR (min 40%), V and/or C (30%) Sp (min 50%) plus OA Sp (min 85%) plus OA do.	11 11 11 11.5	NS NS NS NS	NS NS NS NS	NS NS NS NS
Costa della Sesia DOC	Rosso Rosato Spanna Single-vyd	Sp (min 50%) plus OA do. Sp (min 85%) plus OA do.	11 11 11 12	NS NS NS NS	NS NS NS NS	NS NS NS NS

Legend: Sp = Spanna; UR = Uva Rara; V = Vespolina; C = Croatina; OA = other authorized; NS = none specified

The most well-regarded of the wines listed above are from Gattinara, Ghemme, and Boca. The wines from Gattinara are lighter than Barolos and Barbarescos but with pronounced tannins and acidity. Ghemme wines have similar characteristics to Gattinara wines but with higher tannin levels. The wines of Boca are "firm-bodied and structured with violets, sweet spices and notes of pomegranates on the finish." Similar to the other wines of the region, it displays high levels of acidity.

In addition to the wines listed above, the two region-wide appellations -- Colline Novaresi and Costa della Sesia -- allow Biancos that are 100% Erbaluce plus Croatina and Vespolina varietals which, by law, must contain a minimum of 85% of the named grape. Further, Colline Novaresi also allows varietal wines labeled Barbera and Uva Rara and Rosso and Rosato Novellos which adhere to the varietal mix in place for the DOC Rosso and Rosato wines.

©Wine -- Mise en abyme