We like the wines of Piedmont and Burgundy. Actually, we love them. So when we find a producer that manages to incorporate qualities of both regions we get extra excited. Giovanni Rosso is exactly that type of producer. With inspiration and training in Burgundy but with roots in Serralunga d’Alba that go back over 100 years, Giovanni, who sadly passed away in 2009, and his son Davide have not only brought the grace of Bourgogne to the terroir of best vineyards of Serralunga but, even more importantly, have done so consistently.

The Rosso family has farmed many famous crus of Serralunga d’Alba, most notably the Crus of La Serra, Broglio, Damiano and Vigna Rionda, Cerretta and Sorano since 1890. They were lauded for their meticulous attention to detail and sold their grapes to some of the most famous Piedmontese producers. However, in the early 1980’s Giovanni Rosso determined it was time for his family to have their own name recognized as producers of great wine.

Fast forward to 2001 when Giovanni’s son, Davide, joined the operation after finishing a postgraduate study in Burgundy. From then until Giovanni’s death, this father-son team became a focal point in the region. Now, taking lead of the house, Davide continues this upward trajectory in Piedmont (and now Etna in Sicily as well) by taking techniques he learned in Burgundy further to reveal the true terroir of their ancestral parcels.

All the magic that goes into making these world-class wines takes place in the family’s small estate in Baudana. In the vineyard, Davide practices organic viticulture for the most part, but doesn’t allow dogma to overrule quality. After harvest, the winemaking is decidedly traditional. Spontaneous alcoholic and malolactic fermentation takes place in small, non-temperature controlled concrete vats over a month or more. Davide employs a gentle remontage to maintain purity of fruit versus a more aggressive “rack and return” approach that is often used to create larger-scaled wines. Aging takes place in 50hl French oak botte sourced from Fontainebleau.

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