History
The Ceretto winery was founded in the 1920s, but really came to prominence under the leadership of Bruno and Marcello Ceretto in the 1970s. They were the first to introduce stainless steel tanks for the fermentation of red wines in Piemonte. Their other innovations included later picking of the Nebbiolo grape and management of the fruit load and canopy to produce very ripe fruit with ripe tannins. During fermentation, the must undergoes a gentle extraction by rack and return, which gives a velvety texture to the tannins, and maceration is limited to a moderate two weeks. This allows the Cerettos to avoid extraction of green or astringent tannins in their Barolo and paved the way for the updating of the “bad old days” of traditional Barolo that needed to age for decades in bottle before it became drinkable.
The “crus”
The Ceretto family was also the first to create a single vineyard or “cru” Barolo in 1982 – “Bricco Rocche”, or the top of the Rocche cru. This site is found in just outside of the commune of Castiglione Falletto, which is thought to be the most balanced of all of the Barolo subregions. The Cerettos also produce Barolo from the subregions of Serralunga (Prapó) and La Morrra / Barolo (Brunate) in addition to a blended Barolo (Zonchera) that is their most traditional. They also produce several Barbarescos as well as the traditional line up of Piemontese wines: Dolcetto, Barbera, Moscato and a wonderful and popular Arneis.
Winemaking
The grapes are picked at optimal ripeness entirely by hand into small plastic cagettes. The grapes are brought back to the winery, destemmed and run through a heat exchanger to cool the must. A short prefermentation cold soak is done prior to the onset of fermentation.
The wines are fermented for 7 – 10 days at less than 30° C in stainless steel tanks calibrated to fit the size of the parcels, between 50 – 80 hectoliters. During fermentation, up to three déléstages are done each day at the beginning of the fermentation, and the wine is pumped over for ten minutes every hour to hour and a half.
After fermentation, the wine is pressed and run into barrels, and the malo is done in barrels. The wine is aged completely in French oak barrels, with the top crus getting all new oak, the other crus getting 50% new / 50% first year, and the Monsordo getting second year barrels.
Each of these types of wine is made at a separate facility dedicated to one particular type of wine. The cru Barolos are produced at the Bricco Rocche winery; the cru Barbarescos are produced at the Bricco Asili winery (named for the Asili cru in the subzone of the Barbaresco commune); the La Bernardina winery, where the Barolo Zonchera, Barbaresco Asij, Dolcetto Rossana, Arneis Blangé, and Monsordo Rosso (Cabernet blend) are produced; and the Vignaioli di Santo Stefano, where the Moscato d’Asti is produced. The production site is thus perfectly adapted to each type of wine.
The Ceretto style is both highly acclaimed and consumer-friendly
The wines of Ceretto are rich, ripe and modern, yet retain a distinctive Piemontese character. They are both accessible on release and capable of long aging – in some cases for decades! Finesse, elegance, and balance are the order of the day.
This quality and tradition has been repeatedly recognized, not only by the Spectator and Parker, but by the Gambero Rosso and any number of international publications.
Ceretto is one of the most important family-owned wine producers in Piemonte.
With 80 hectares of estate vineyards, Ceretto has plots in the most prestigious appellations – a wealth of resources that no other producer can match.
Ceretto was first, In 1982, with a single-vineyard Barolos, the Bricco Rocche.
Since this time, they have consistently championed site specific bottlings as their top of the line, while retaining a traditional blended Barolo as the entry level wine
Ceretto was the first producer in Italy to ferment red wines in stainless steel
The updating of the “old school” style in Barolo was long overdue and sorely needed. Bruno and Marcello (the “Barolo Brothers” in the Wine Spectator) were instrumental in this modernization.
Each Ceretto wine is carefully crafted in a winery purpose-built for its vinification
Cru Barolos are made at the Bricco Rocche winery, cru Barbarescos at the Bricco Asili winery, Monsordo and the “alphabet labels” (Zonchera, Asij, Rossana, Piana, etc) at the La Bernardina winery, Moscato at the Santo Stefano winery, and the grappas at the distillery.
History 
The famous winery of Livio Felluga is located in Friuli, and the fruit comes almost exclusively from the two best subregions of Friuli – Collio and Colli Orientali. The river that runs through Brazzano is the border between Collio and Grave. Both Grave and Isonzo are flat regions, and both Collio and Colli Orientali del Friuli (COF) are hilly regions – the former are two parts of the same plane, and the latter, two parts of the same chain of hills. Collio and Isonzo are in the Gorizia province, and COF and Grave are in Udine province. Here Friulano is spoken, which is recognized as a separate language. Further to the east, Slovak is spoken.
Generally, the soil type in Isonzo is clay, gravel in Grave, and Ponka, or stratified marl, in Collio and COF. Average rainfall can be as much as 1,100 mm/yr. Grass is commonly planted between rows in this region in order to combat erosion, but it doesn’t like to grow, and usually has to be seeded. Traditional grape varieties in Friuli include Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, Friulano, Merlot, Refosco, Ribolla, and Pignolo (which is traditional on the slopes of the Rosazzo abbey, and plays a small role in Sosso. Traditional vine training systems include Silvo (trained high, canes tied down), and Casarsa (trained high, canes not tied down).
Vineyard work
The typical trellising system used by Felluga is the capucina or double cane system, similar to double guyot, but trained higher. This is used for the Picolit because of the large internodal spaces, and on all hillside grapes to increase the number of fruitful buds. Newly planted vineyards are on double guyot. Each cane is pruned to 4 – 6 buds. Density in traditional plantings is 3,000 vines/ha, but now this can approach 10,000 (except for varieties that need more space such as Refosco, Ribolla and Picolit). In the flat areas, a high cordon training system is used.
 Livio Felluga has a total of 200 ha, with 160 planted to vines, and 130 ha of this total in the Rosazzo cru. Other producers of rosazzo include Ronco della Bitule, Manzano, Schiopetto, and Zamo. The abbey was founded in 800 AD. This cru is superior to its neighbors because it is protected from the Bora (a cold wind that comes down from Hungary in the Northeast), and because it is open to the moderating influence of the sea (which can be seen from the site on a clear day). Some of the vines are 60 – 100 years old on this site.
The cru is famous for its wines and its rich history, but it is not yet a DOCG. That (dubious) distinction belongs to Ramondolo, produced from dried Verduzzo in the far northern hills of COF. DOCG status has been granted, however, to Picolit as a grape, grown anywhere in COF.
Winemaking 
The vintage is sorted using vibrating tables, and incoming fruit is protected by CO2 (dry ice) after destemming, shocking the grapes to 15˚ C. All of the wines undergo a maceration of at least 4 – 6 hours, but the PG is left on the skins much longer. During this period, the grapes are maintained at 12˚C. The winery presses the incoming fruit in vacuum presses that use lower pressure and are sealed and flushed with nitrogen. Settling occurs in tank with the use of pectolytic enzymes, and is completed in 6 – 12 hours.
The fermentation is begun with the addition of a pied de cuve, and is conducted at moderate temperatures. Post-fermentation, all wine is kept on the lees for at least two to three months, although barrel-aged cuvees are left longer. The barriques are normally racked in February or March following the vintage. MLF is used for about 30 – 40% of the white wine, and cold stabilization is not employed.
Livio Felluga owns great vineyards, and lots of them!
368 acres over four prestigious sites in Collio and Colli Orientali. These are the finest subregions in Friuli because of their steep mountain vineyard sites, thin soils, perfect exposition and great drainage.
Livio pioneered the Metodo Friulano
This method, now adopted by most modern winemakers, makes use of temperature controlled stainless steel fermentation, pre-fermentation macerations, and aging on the lees in stainless for traditional Italian varietals
Style is clean and crisp
No malolactic fermentation, firm acidity, no use of oak for most of the wines means that the wines have a great purity and are well suited to pairing with food.
Vines are very old
With a vine age of up to 60 years and restricted yields these wines deliver maximum concentration.
Top flight winemaking talent
Wines are ably produced by the Elda Felluga along with the famous consulting oenologist Stefano Chioccioli
History
Grapevines were already cultivated for wine production in the vicinity of Capezzana 3000 years ago. The present vineyard was named in Roman times, and written records of the present vineyard date to 804 A.D. During the Renaissance, the property was controlled by the Medici family. The estate passed by marriage through several noble Tuscan families, until it cam under the control of the Contini Bonacossi family early in the 20th century. Today the property is ably run by the Bonacossi family – Filippo runs the vineyards, Bernadetta makes the wine, and Beatrice handles commercial matters.
All of the grapes for the wines of Capezzana are produced on their estate vineyards. Filippo supervises their production with the utmost in care, using the minimum possible amount of chemical inputs to ensure the health of the vines. Great attention is paid to the size and density of the canopy and to the fruit load borne by each vine.
The vineyards were originally planted at a density of 6,500 vines/ha, but now are planted at 9,600 for the Cabernet and 6,250 for the Sangiovese. Sangiovese clones are chosen for the production of thick skin, small berries and small bunches to give body to the resulting wine.
Winemaking
After harvesting by hand and crushing, the must is cooled to 14° C in a heat exchanger. The fermentation takes place over 18 – 20 days, with a shorter period of 15 – 16 days for the Barco Reale. Extraction is accomplished by déléstage, which is done twice daily for the first five days, and then by light pump-overs after that. Malolactic fermentation is done in new 225-liter barriques.
Micro-oxygenation done on the Ghiaie and the Barco both before racking during maceration, as well as after the malolactic fermentation. This is carried out at 18° C, and care is taken not to do it during malo in order to reduce the possibility of the development of volatile acidity.
Fabulous history
Winery founded prior to 804 AD, and winemaking in the region goes back to Etruscan times
Great sites
Capezzana occupies 40% of the area of DOCG Carmignano, including most of the best sites.
Family owned
Capezzana is still family owned by the noble Contini Bonacossi family. The wines are made by Bernadetta Bonacossi, who produces the wines along with oenologist Stefano Chioccioli.
Critically acclaimed
Throughout the 20th century, these highly renowned and awarded wines have maintained their reputation for quality and ageability
History 
The Monsanto estate was purchased in1961 by Fabrizio Bianchi. The 72 hectares of vineyards of the estate are all planted in a contiguous area in the Barberino Val d’Elsa subsection in the southern part of Chianti Classico. This is one of the best areas for the creation of fine Chianti, since the average elevation of the vineyards is 300 meters, giving a warmer microclimate than the areas of Gaiole and Radda, which lie at 400 meters. This is very important in obtaining ripe Sangiovese, because it is a late-ripening grape, picked after Cabernet. The grapes at Monsanto are picked an average of 10 days earlier than those of these other regions. The vineyards are also located at the top of the Elsa valley, which allows them to take advantage of the moderating maritime influence.
 The Sangiovese vineyards are planted on Galestro soil, which is a type of hard stratified clay or schist separated by large stones. This soil type is found mainly in Barberino and Greve, with vineyards in Castellina and Castelnuove being planted on clay vineyards that give fruity but less concentrated wines of lower aging potential. This is a very calcareous, low pH soil, producing wines with a naturally low acidity.
The vineyards are planted with Brunello clones selected from the Il Poggio vineyard through massal selection, although experiments with the F9 clone and the Biondi-Santi selection have been carried out as well. Most are planted on the 422 rootstock, producing very modest yields of 40 – 45 hl/ha – about one kilogram per plant. The density of planting is 6,600 vines/ha, which compares to an average of 4,000 – 4,500/ha for the region. The average age of the vines is 25 years, with the oldest Sangiovese found in the Il Poggio vineyard being 40 years of age. 40% of the Il Poggio is aged in French oak, and the wine ages a year in bottle before release. Total production is about 4,000 cases
Winemaking
The grapes are picked by hand into small plastic bins and sorted first in the vineyard and then on a conveyor belt at grape reception. Those deemed unworthy of Monsanto are put into the second label wine. The grapes are cooled using dry ice before being destemmed and pressed in a pneumatic Bucher press. Nitrogen blanketing is used during all wine handling operations. Ambient yeasts are used for all fermentations, and fermentation is carried out at 28 - 30ºC for 10 – 12 days. The pomace is mixed with the fermenting must through the use of delestage, which gives an elegant extraction of tannins.
Trailblazer
The winery was founded by Fabrizio Bianchi, self-taught winemaker, who had the courage to preserve the best parts of Chianti (old-vine Sangiovese grosso, traditional methods) while rejecting the parts of this tradition (the use of white grapes in Chianti) that didn’t make sense.
Monsanto launched the first single-vineyard Chianti, Il Poggio, In 1962
Il Poggio has critical acclaim and great ageability
Great site
Monsanto is produced in one of the best sites in the region, located in the Barberino Val d’Elsa subdistrict of Chianti Classico.
Stylistic variety
Along with traditional styled Chianti, Monsanto has been enormously successful with their reference standard Supertuscans, such as Nemo Cabernet.
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