Small but excellent certainly applies to this fantastic little family business in the Langhe. Located near Monforte, in the small hamlet of Perno, is a cellar where the most delicious wines are made. They produce a mere 12,000 bottles a year, and every bottle is a winner.
After the passing of her father Stefano, daughter Chiara, together with her husband Clemente, has built a small but high-quality arsenal of traditional Piedmontese wines: Barolo, Nebbiolo, Barbera, and Arneis. Winemaking as it has been practiced in Piedmont for centuries: small-scale, idiosyncratic, and with enormous respect for the land.
And then there is Clemente. A Southerner by origin, who traveled through Italy for years like a kind of vagabond. From place to place, always looking for new experiences, new people, and a life that suited him. Until he found Chiara in the Langhe. There, he found not only love but also his place. Together they continued to build on Chiara’s family business, and Clemente grew into a passionate and exceptionally talented winemaker. His Southern Italian background and his wandering life story give a beautiful extra dimension to their wines: rooted in Piedmont, but with a soul that has traversed all of Italy.
Naturally, they work in the traditional way. This means that the long-aging wines mature in large wooden barrels, the classic *botte*, after a long, spontaneous fermentation. A method that not only benefits the wines but also stems from history. In the past, the large wooden barrels were used because there was time to harvest other crops on the land during the long aging process of the Nebbiolo.
In this, too, history repeats itself. As soon as the grapes have been picked and the work in the vineyard is done, Chiara and Clemente head to the south of Italy. There, they harvest the olives from the grove of Clemente, whose roots lie deep in the South.
Two worlds, one life. Piedmont and Southern Italy. Wine and olives. Tradition and a touch of adventure.
Pure, authentic, and delicious.
