Winemaker Notes
The story of the Gagliardo family is a testament to a legacy of knowledge and expertise, first cultivated in Piedmont's famed Langhe zone in 1847. A century and a half later, a determined young man named Gianni Gagliardo carried that torch, establishing the winery as we know it today in 1973. Now, the sixth generation—his sons Stefano, Alberto, and Paolo—are the devoted guardians of the estate, deeply involved in every step of the process of the original family project.
Their work is an art form rooted in a deep understanding of the land, the renowned Barolo region in Piedmont. Over the years, the Gagliardo family has carefully acquired vineyards throughout all the Barolo region the estate now boasts 8 Barolo Cru vineyards in 5 villages, spanning approximately 26 acres in Langhe and 23 acres in Roero, producing some of the finest wines in the area.
The Gagliardo are masters of their terroir, and their philosophy is to allow each individual vineyard to speak for itself. This dedication allows them to express the truest character of the Nebbiolo grape, creating complex but not complicated wines that are a pure, elegant, and balanced expression of their unique origins. For the Gagliardo family, every single vine is important, every single parcel is unique, and every detail makes the difference.
The family's pioneering spirit extends beyond their iconic Barolos. They have also been at the forefront of a major project, pioneering the revival of the inland Vermentino, the Favorita, a classic Italian white grape. This commitment to both the established and the forgotten speaks to their unwavering pursuit of purity and expression in every single wine they create and their deep connection to the purest Italian roots.
Responsible for some of the most elegant and age-worthy wines in the world, Nebbiolo, named for the ubiquitous autumnal fog (called nebbia in Italian), is the star variety of northern Italy’s Piedmont region. Grown throughout the area, as well as in the neighboring Valle d’Aosta and Valtellina, it reaches its highest potential in the Piedmontese villages of Barolo, Barbaresco and Roero. Outside of Italy, growers are still very much in the experimentation stage but some success has been achieved in parts of California. Somm Secret—If you’re new to Nebbiolo, start with a charming, wallet-friendly, early-drinking Langhe Nebbiolo or Nebbiolo d'Alba.
The center of the production of the world’s most exclusive and age-worthy red wines made from Nebbiolo, the Barolo wine region includes five core townships: La Morra, Monforte d’Alba, Serralunga d’Alba, Castiglione Falletto and the Barolo village itself, as well as a few outlying villages. The landscape of Barolo, characterized by prominent and castle-topped hills, is full of history and romance centered on the Nebbiolo grape. Its wines, with the signature “tar and roses” aromas, have a deceptively light garnet color but full presence on the palate and plenty of tannins and acidity. In a well-made Barolo wine, one can expect to find complexity and good evolution with notes of, for example, strawberry, cherry, plum, leather, truffle, anise, fresh and dried herbs, tobacco and violets.
There are two predominant soil types here, which distinguish Barolo from the lesser surrounding areas. Compact and fertile Tortonian sandy marls define the vineyards farthest west and at higher elevations. Typically the Barolo wines coming from this side, from La Morra and Barolo, can be approachable relatively early on in their evolution and represent the “feminine” side of Barolo, often closer in style to Barbaresco with elegant perfume and fresh fruit.
On the eastern side of the Barolo wine region, Helvetian soils of compressed sandstone and chalks are less fertile, producing wines with intense body, power and structured tannins. This more “masculine” style comes from Monforte d’Alba and Serralunga d’Alba. The township of Castiglione Falletto covers a spine with both soil types.
The best Barolo wines need 10-15 years before they are ready to drink, and can further age for several decades.