Roero DOCG “Bric Valdiana” 2018 – Giovanni Almondo

The grapes to produce the Roero DOCG “Bric Valdiana” Giovanni Almondo were hand picked in 15kg boxes after a double selection before and during harvest. Once at the winery grapes underwent a third selection. Maceration took place for 7 days on the skins at 12°C and was followed by fermentation in stainless steel vats with indigenous yeasts for 24 days. The wine aged for 18 months in big untoasted Slavonian oak casks. 

The grape for this wine come from the vineyard Bric Valdiana, a 9 hectare hillside vineyard located in the municipality of Montà. The vineyard sits at 230-320 meters above sea level and it’s south/south – east facing. At the top of the hill soils are largely composed of ‘Sand of Asti’ (yellow-greyish sands typical of Roero). In the lower part of the hill, ‘Sands of Asti’ are mixed with the older ‘Clays of Lugagnano’, marine clays originated 5,5 million years ago. Vineyards are very steep and the 30 year old vines are Guyot trained with vertical shoot positioning.

Giovanni Almondo is family-owned estate based in Montà, in the Roero hills north of Alba. Although the Almondo family has lived here for over 600 years, Domenico Almondo was the first, in the early 1980s, to make wine from their 18 hectares of meticulously tended vines. He is now assisted by his sons Stefano and Domenico. The commune of Montà is geologically divided. Giovanni Almondo’s Arneis achieves great aromatic expression in the higher-acidity, sandy soils of the northern vineyards, while his Nebbiolo thrives in the south on slightly lower-lying calcareous soils of marine origin.