‘When I was young, I wanted to be an archeologist or forest ranger,’ recounts Luca Currado. Instead, this self-deprecating storyteller became Vietti’s fifth-generation winemaker.
Founded in the late 1800s in the Barolo township of Castiglione Falletto, Vietti’s headquarters sit atop a maze of tunnels that serve as an underground cellar. The Vietti name comes from Currado’s maternal side. His mother, Luciana Vietti inherited the property when her father died. ‘She didn’t want to pay for a winemaker so she married my father Alfredo,’ Currado jokes.
Alfredo was a trailblazer. An early champion of the Arneis grape, he crafted a monovarietal in 1967, helping to save it from extinction. He also started bottling individual sites contrary to the prevailing practice in Barolo of blending grapes from different areas. ‘My father was in love with Burgundy and believed that there were some zones in Barolo that were better than others,’ explains Currado. Vietti’s 1961 Rocche (di Castiglione) was among the first ‘cru’ Barolos.
After stints in Bordeaux at Château Mouton-Rothschild, and in California at Opus One, Currado returned to Barolo in 1991 working with his father until Alfredo retired in 2000. ‘He taught me to respect terroir,’ Currado states.
Vietti Vineyards
With vineyards in all 11 communes, Vietti owns some of the most prestigious terroir in Barolo. The estate also boasts sites in Barbaresco, Roero, Asti and Colli Tortonese. In total, Vietti’s holdings (owned and rented) add up to approximately 40 hectares, from which it makes 30,000 to 35,000 cases per year.
As of the 2019 vintage, the entire production will be certified organic. Currado has also adopted various biodynamic principles but calls his approach pragmatic. He believes in following lunar cycles and planting diverse cover crops – but burying cow manure in the beast’s horn? ‘That’s too esoteric,’ he declares.
Currado’s wife, Elena Penna runs the property alongside him. While her responsibilities include sales and winery visits, the two taste from barrel and make all blending decisions together.
In the spectrum of traditional to modern, Vietti leans more towards the former. The estate’s Nebbiolos see classic long maceration times with a submerged cap fermentation. ‘We have never been extreme,’ states Currado. He strives for clean wines and is as intolerant of Brettanomyces as he is of excessive oak. While he did introduce barriques into the cellar, their imprint is minimal. When utilised, they serve as vessels for alcoholic and malolactic fermentations before extended ageing in large oak casks, and are used for at least 10 years before being replaced.
Currado is quick to explain that there is no strict recipe in the cellar. ‘Every year is different and the crus are diverse. It’s like different cuts of meat, you don’t cook them in the same manner.’
While each parcel is vinified separately, only a handful of crus has traditionally been bottled on their own: Rocche di Castiglione, Ravera, Brunate and Lazzarito. However, even these are vintage dependent – there was no Brunate in 2014 as much of this plot was decimated by hail, for example. Crafted in limited quantities, Vietti’s single crus capture the distinct personality of each site, particularly in the outstanding 2016 vintage.
In exceptional years, Vietti produces a Barolo Riserva from the prized Villero cru. The 2012 vintage is the most recent release and 2013 will follow at the end of this year. Every vintage is labelled with an original work by a different artist. An art buff, Alfredo Currado established the tradition in 1974 with Claudio Bonichi producing a xylograph for the 1971 Masseria Barbaresco. Since the 1982 vintage, the art label is created exclusively for the Villero Riserva and the artist is usually given 12 bottles in exchange. In years which Villero is not made, such as 2014 and 2015, the grapes go into Vietti’s Castiglione Barolo, which blends parcels from throughout the region.
Beyond Nebbiolo, the family has great affection for Barbera. This is due in large part to their centenarian plot located in the prime Barolo cru of Scarrone. Rather than ripping out these vines, they actually sacrificed some Nebbiolo to plant more Barbera in 1989. The two parcels are bottled separately under the Barbera d’Alba denomination. Barbera production was further increased with the purchase of 7ha in Asti. The single-vineyard La Crena label is a selection of the oldest vines there.
In terms of whites, Vietti continues Alfredo’s legacy with a fresh and fruity Arneis. More recently, they invested in the Colli Tortonesi area and have just released their first vintage of Timorasso.
In 2016, Vietti was sold to American business mogul Kyle Krause. The news sent shockwaves through the wine world and the family was subjected to much criticism. ‘It was a painful decision,’ says Currado, explaining that it involved other family members who were no longer interested in the business.
However, four years on, Luca and Elena remain the faces and force of the winery. ‘We have a very clear agreement that allows us to have full management,’ asserts Currado. It has also given them the resources to purchase additional coveted sites, such as Roncaglie and Rabajà in Barbaresco and Cerequio and Monvigliero in Barolo.
While the long-term succession plan at Vietti remains to be seen, the near-term forecast looks bright – with the added prospect of some new cru bottlings.
Tasting Vietti’s wines:
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