Our family observes a set of very precise rules regarding ageing in large barrels. Each vineyard has its own identity. To respect that identity, the resulting wine must reach full maturity in wood.
Pira and Asili, wines characterised by purity and elegance, usually take 3-4 years in large oak barrels to reach their full expression. Crichet Pajé, Pajé and Montefico, wines in which purity, structure and complexity emerge, take longer to age, from 4-5 to more than 10 years in certain vintages. It’s not as if there’s actually one hard and fast rule, it’s more a question of allowing ourselves to be guided by our family history and tradition.
We practise much longer ageing than required by the disciplinary specifications: the geographical mentions are released five years after harvest, following slow ageing in oak and concrete barrels.
All the wines are bottled in summer, when they have fully matured. The barrels used originate from meticulous selections from our suppliers. Each barrel is made by hand and the staves are shaped using steam, without any toasting. The wood matures for up to ten years to ensure that the wine ages very slowly and there is no interference with its purity.
The wines age over a long period of time. Dolcetto for about a year, whites for two years, Barbaresco and Barolo for at least five years. This is why there is no need for any filtering or fining, as the wines are already perfectly clear.