AZIENDA AGRICOLA CASCINA PUGNANE Pugnane , Barolo DOCG

In 2011 we started to think and act organic in the vineyards (officially certified since 2016). In 2015 our evolution continued with the introduction of a Biodynamic approach to the entire property. Key changes to improve the ecosystem include, adding trees and plants in the vineyards, introducing a green garden, and building birdhouses. While we have always sought balance in the vineyards, we now look for it in every part of our environment. For us, that means no chemical weeding, no systemic anti-parasite treatments, and no chemical fertilization. In addition, we plant barley, oats, and clover between the vines to revitalize the soil. To keep soft the soil not to stress the roots of the vines. We use corroborates to reduce chemical treatments and we even make our own compost. To promote as much biodiversity as possible we practice farming diversification by incorporating other crops. Finally, we always bottle with the energy of the waning moon.

The 2015 Parussi is bursting with lovely juicy, wild forest fruit and grenadine notes underpinned by an intense, mineral freshness and fresh walnut-like tannins. A beautiful Barolo that closes with a super long, mint-and-lavender-and-cherry-scented finish. The iron-rich, 'blue clay' soils here are a little lighter, more oxygenated, with more silt and less clay than Serralunga. This makes for more vigour in the vines and a completely different style of wine. The Massolino family were attracted by the excellent south-easterly and south-westerly exposure of the vines, the vineyard's situation at 300 metres above sea level on the crest of the hill, and the 45-year-old vines. Today, they are the only Barolo producer to bottle a single vineyard wine from this cru. A traditional Barolo, 15-20 days of fermentation and maceration at 31-33°C; aged in oak barrels for about 30 months and left to mature in bottles placed in special dark, cool cellars for about a year. Founded in 1896, Massolino Winery, is based in and around the town of Serralunga, one of the prime sub-zones of the Barolo DOC. The Massolino familys greatest asset is of course their 23 hectares of (mostly) Serralunga vineyards, including choice parcels of such famous sites as; Margheria, Parafada and the legendary Vigna Rionda. We say mostly as the Massolino clan recently purchased a slice of the Parussi cru in Castiglione Falletto. Serrralunga, on the eastern edge of the Barolo DOCG, produces some of most profound and long lived Barolo. It is the home of great names such as Giacomo Conterno and Bruno Giacosas Falletto vineyard. The wines often have an extra stuffing of intense Nebbiolo fruit as well as a remarkable minerality that plays on both the freshness of the tannins and gives the wines a certain ferrous edge when young. It is fair to say that Massolino holds the most remarkable collection of vineyards in Serralunga, amongst the smaller, quality focused producers anyway. The quality strides at this estate over the last 10-15 years have been remarkable with significant advances made, particularly in the vineyards. Certainly there has also been refinements in the cellars, firstly by Franco Massolino and then by current winemaker Giovanni Angeli (ex Vajra) who has been working with Franco since the 2005 harvest. As always however, it has been the work in the vineyards and the search for expressive and perfectly ripe fruit that has driven the rise in quality at this estate. The resultant improvement here has been very good news for both the commune and Barolo in general. Today the wines of Massolino sit comfortably among the finest of the region they are wines of wonderful purity and elegance. They are exclusively aged in large casks, so they are traditional and yet they offer the best of the old and new worlds: pure, aromatic, textural, deeply flavoured wines that are at the same time precise, vibrant and distinctly regional. These are wines that score extremely highly on our deliciousness scale. Equally important, these wines are remarkably well priced when compared to the other top producers of the area.

The scent of red fruits such as raspberry and pomegranate very ripes are well blended with spicy and balsamic notes. The particular mineral component of the Bussias terroir gives the wine a great structure, an intense color, clear and enveloping tannins. There is a long and consistent aftertaste. Intense garnet red. Nebbiolo Founded by Luigi Einaudi, during his time as Governor of Banca dItalia and President of Italy after the second world war, it is said he never missed a harvest! His son Roberto succeeded him, but it was Robertos daughter Paola, on her return from Milano to Dogliani at the end of the 1980s, who with tenacity, enthusiasm and significant investment, re-launched this historic brand and went about improving wine quality. Today it is her son, fourth generation Matteo Sardagna, who is at the helm. Long sojourns in the Langhe as a child with his grandfather and mother left Matteo with a deeply-rooted passion for the familys values and customs. Today the winery is equipped with unique cement egg-like fermenting tanks, and botti of varying sizes and age so that Matteo and his team can produce wines which reflect their terroir, and the traditional style of the region and the estate.

Beautiful glowing ruby. Fine earthy nose. Succulent palate with a powerful tannic structure. Really long and a little vibrant. Firm, long red-fruit finish Hearty stew, wild game, roasted red meats and cheeses. The grapes are selected from small vineyards spread in the Barolo region. The vines are between 8 and 41 years old, planted in a clay-limestone soil. Plants are trained with guyot method, with an average density of roughly 4500 units per hectare. All the different crus are vinified and aged separately with slightly different processes to underline the singular characteristics of each parcel and terroir. Fermentation occurs in stainless steel with daily cap submersion for extraction of flavor and color. The history of the Vietti winery traces its roots back to the 19th Century. Only at the beginning of the 20th century, however, did the Vietti name become a winery offering its own wines in bottle. From 1919 Patriarch Mario Vietti began making the first Vietti wines, selling most of the production in Italy. His most significant achievement was to transform the family farm, engaged in many fields, into a grape-growing and wine-producing business. Then, in 1952, Alfredo Currado (Luciana Viettis husband) continued to produce high quality wines from their own vineyards and purchased grapes. The Vietti winery grew to become one of the top-level producers in Piemonte and was one of the first wineries to export its products to the USA market. Alfredo was one of the first to select and vinify grapes from single vineyards (such as Brunate, Rocche and Villero). This was a radical concept at the time, but today virtually every vintner making Barolo and Barbaresco wines offers single vineyard or cru-designated wines. Alfredo is also called the father of Arneis as in 1967 he invested a lot of time to rediscover and understand this nearly-lost variety. Today Arneis is the most famous white wine from Roero area, north of Barolo. Setting such a fine example with Arneis, even fellow vintners as far away those on the west coast of the United States now are cultivating and producing Arneis!

Blend 2 combines two of the Nebbiolo clones we have growing at Pipan Steel Wines. It has the perfume from Clone 9 and the savouriness from Clone 10, resulting in a smooth, fragrant wine. Enjoy it with your best friends and favourite food.