Roero & Langhe

Langhe is a small tongue (Langa, Langhe) of land extending south from the Tanaro river and nestling into a curve of the Apennines of the southernmost Piedmont. Across the Tanaro is Roero, a hilly region just north of the small city of Alba, capital of the Piemontese white truffle territory.

In the Langhe the landscape is characterized by marly hills, straight mountainsides with rounded ridges, and valleys with parallel straight-line courses. Viticulture is generally concentrated in the lower (Bassa) Langa. The Alta Langa (upper Langhe) tends to be more pasture and hazelnut grove, prime territory for the famed white truffles of Alba.

Roero’s topography is more jumbled, with steeper and rougher slopes, deep and straight valleys, sometimes with sloping peaks and steep, bare rock faces. Cultivatioin is a mix of vines, hazelnut and fruit orchards, as well as strawberry and vegetable gardens what alternate with impenetrable woods along the ridgelines.

The soils of Roero are younger, and generally softer and sandier than Langhe’s limestone marls.

The unifying element of the Langhe and Roero is its geology, defined by a series of marly-sandy sedimentary debris and sedimentary rocks, deposited mostly in the marine environment of the middle-upper oligocene period (around 30-35 million years ago).

The Langhe and its viticultural landscape was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage Site list since 2014.

Carretta’s wines

Tenuta Carretta owns a selection of parcels and monopole vineyards in some of the Piedmont’s most famed districts:

Nebbiolo Brut Zero NV Rosato “Cuvee San Rocco:” Grapes from the vineyards of San Rocco Seno d’Elvio, a hamlet near Alba that is particularly suitable to the cultivation of Nebbiolo. Methodo Classico (methode Champenoise) vinification process. Extremely elegant, pleasantly dry and decisive, unveiling remarkable structure and personality. Perfect for the entire meal, this wine is ideal with shrimp, lobster, fish dishes and risottos.

Arneis Cayega:

Rosato “Cereja:” Name both for the local Piemontese word of warm greeting and also as a nod to the pink tone of the wine (ceresa- cherry in local dialect), this blend of Nebbiolo & Barbera is a bright salmon pink, with good acidity and ripe fruit flavors. Quick maceration with the skins, then 3 months fermentation in stainless followed by 3 months of resting before release. Savory and mineral-driven. Perfect when the occasion calls for a rose with a bit more depth.

Roero Arneis Riserva Canorei: from Carretta’s oldest vineyard, a monopole and legally-recognized Menzione Geografica Aggiuntiva (Additional geographic designation) within the Roero DOCG. The soils of this 5.3-acre vineyard are rich in limestone, and with high drainage capacity, and are used exclusively for Arneis Riserva. The vines are around 40 years old, quite old for Arneis and produce a wine with great phenolic richness and an intense expressiveness of their terroir. The wine is fermented and aged in barriques of steam-bent (ie no toast) Acacia wood, then bottle aged before release. This is an amazing and unique wine that drinks in many ways like a great Meursault.

Dolcetto d’Alba Superiore Il Palazzo: FThe grapes come from property vineyards grown on soils rich in limestone sands (Diano Sandstone) in Madonna di Como, a suitable area for the Dolcetto grape, located in the municipality of Alba, on the sunny side overlooking the hamlet of Ricca di Diano d’Alba. An ancient bishop’s palace once stood here, hence the wine’s name. In order to be classified as “Superiore”, the wine must be aged for 12 months starting from the 1st of November of the year of harvest. The wine’s release is thus set from the 1st of November of the year following grape harvest. Fermentation and maceration are carried out for 10-12 days at 28°C. After, the wine is transferred to stainless steel tanks to age for at least 6 months. The wine is then placed in the bottle where it will age for at least another 6 months, until it reaches the 12 months indicated by the DOC regulations. Ruby red with violet reflections, rich and intense aroma with hints of flowers and fruits. Harmonious and velvety mouthfeel, unveiling extreme elegance as well as pleasantly sweet and delicate tannins.

Nebbiolo d'Alba Superiore “Tavoletto:” This rich and long-lived Nebbiolo d’Alba Superiore endowed with excellent structure comes from property vineyards cultivated in the sunny and steep land of Podere Tavoleto, in the hamlet of San Rocco Seno d’Elvio, situated in the municipality of Alba. The “Superiore” classification requires a minimum aging period of 18 months (of which at least 6 in wood) starting from the 1st of November of the year of harvest. This establishes product launch on the 1st of May of the second year following grape harvest. Fermentation and maceration last for 10-12 days at a temperature of 28°C. After, the wine is placed in oak tonneaus to age for at least 12 months. The wine is then bottled and aged for another 6 months. Ruby red with garnet reflections, rich and complex aromas with hints of incense, licorice, vanilla and ripe fruit. Harmonious and velvety in the mouth, extremely elegant with pleasantly delicate tannins.

Roero Riserva “Bric Paradiso:” From a monopole vineyard on a plateau-hilltop in the village of Piobese d’Alba, planted to 100% Nebbiolo. Delicate sandy soils and a good diurnal temperature swing combine to craft a wine of finesse and elegance with both depth and great acidity.

Barbaresco Riserva Cascina Bordino: From a monopole vineyard including some of the finest plots on the eastern side of the village of Treiso… steep vineyards of sandy marl soil with occasional clayey lenses. A fine, structured wine of elegance and a bit of austerity. Aged for a minimum of 50 months from the November following the harvest, including at least 9 months in barrel.

tenuta carRetta

Founded in 1470, Tenuta Carretta is one of the most important estates in the Langhe/Roero district. The slightly murky early history traces to a Domina Careta, a noblewoman who appears to have owned the estate in the 1300’s, but the 1470 date stems from a sharecropper’s deed from 1467 allocating half the harvest to the lord of Piobesi and the other half to 3 brothers, who gained rights to harvest the cascina Caretta. Som 350 years later, the estate passed to the Counts of Roero, who after 120 years passed it to the Veglia family in 1932. Some 50 years after that, it passed to the Miroglio family, wealthy textile manufacturers in Alba, who continue to own the estate which operates under Managing Director Davide Chiarle. Recently the family has expanded both its textile business and its wine interests into Bulgaria, where the Edoardo Miroglio winery has produced a range of still and sparkling wines from the ancient region of Thrace since 2002.

Tenuta Carretta is based in Piobesi d’Alba, Roero, where the estate buildings are surrounded by just under 35 hectares of vineyards. To the south of the Tanaro, the estate owns another 45 hectares of vineyards for a total of 80 hectares. Many of their finest wines come from monopole vineyards- recognized sites where Carretta owns the entirety of the vineyard.

Carretta produces a full range of wines, including a single-vineyard Arneis Riserva, a lovely Dolcetto Superiore (also single-vineyard) and a Barbaresco from the Cascino Bordino vineyards, and several others. Vineyards are managed using largely organic practices, with minimal chemical interventions.

They have been instrumental in the revival of Arneis, a classic variety of the Cuneo region that was all but forgotten by the 1970’s. Light, crisp and aromatic and a superb varietal to pair with lighter, more elegant fare.

Their flagship though is a Barolo Riserva from the landmark Cannubi vineyard, from a 5.5-acre parcel along the steep valley walls above the valley floor and below the ridge hosting Castiglione Falletto. The soils are sandy calcareous fossil marl of Tortonian (7.25-11.6 million years ago) age. The wine is produced as a “normale” and also as a limited-release Riserva in certain years. A mere 1260 bottles of the Riserva are produced, if it’s made at all, and named in honor of the patriarch of the family, Franco Miroglio (it lists as Rag. Franco Miroglio- Ragionare is his business title, roughly equivalent to CPA). Each bottle is numbered and the label includes a silk pattern from one of the famed Miroglio scarves.

As a Riserva, this superb example of Barolo is aged for a minimum of 60 months (at least 36 months in barrel and another 18 in bottle) before release.

Barbera d’Alba DOCG

Barbera d’Alba Superiore Bric Quercia: From a monopole vineyard in Piobese d’Alba. Bric Quercia is situated on the hill that forms the natural amphitheater surrounding the winery. Here, the Barbera grapes yield highly elegant and delicate wines. The Superiore type requires a minimum aging period of 12 months (of which at least 4 in wood) starting from the 1st of November of the year of harvest. Fermentation, with submerged-cap maceration, lasts for 10-12 days at 28°C. The wine is then aged in oak barrels for a minimum of 12 months. Bottling and another period of aging follow; the former lasts for at least 24 months, which is twice the minimum period stated in the production disciplinary. Intense ruby red, rich and complex aromas with hints of vanilla and black cherry. The mouth is full and fresh, savory and harmonious, notably persistent.

Cannubi is the oldest Cru in the Barolo DOC, with mention of the specific site dating to the mid 1700’s. There is some dispute however over its boundaries- if you map out the vineyard, it’s about 40 acres, but if you add up all the claimed holdings in Cannubi, you get more like 75 acres. Some of this may be the same parcel showing up as owned by 2 different families who are in fact related, but it is confusing. Adding further to the morass is the Italian authorities’ recent decision (even more recently rescinded) to allow the surrounding satellite vineyards of Cannubi Boschis, Cannubi Moscatel, Cannubi San Lorenzo and Cannubi Valetta to use the name “Cannubi” on their labels. However, at the end of the day, Tenuta Carretta owns lands in the heart of the original Cannubi vineyard, and they are in fact the second-largest holder with 7 acres of vines.