Sunday, February 16, 2014

Fratelli Revello and the wines of the La Morra

My experience in the Piedmont region in Italy was honestly the best trip I have taken there, other than my experiences living in Florence, which is my true love. The people of the Piedmont region were so hospitable and so welcoming at the vineyards that I stopped into. The hills are densely packed with vineyard after vineyard all perfectly plotted and aligned. This region also has some phenomenal food that goes so well with the wines of the region along with this time of year being the truffle festival so it couldn't be beat. 
Fratelli Revello La Morra, Piedmont
Carlo & Paola
One of the days I decided to pull off the road at a winery I saw to fit in one last wine tasting of the day at Fratelli Revello. It was a busy time that I was there in the heart of the harvesting season, the first week of October. Workers were working tirelessly in the vineyards and trucks driving along the windy roads full of grapes to bring to the winery. 

Paola greeted me and did a private tasting in the upstairs tasting room with a beautiful view overlooking the Annuziata hills providing a history of the family and the wines. I tasted everything from their Barbera d'Alba and Barbera d'Alba Ciabot du Re along with their 5 Barolos from Giachini, Conca, Rocche dell'Annuziata, Gattera and Gorette. I was fortunate as well to have both the Revello brothers come up to meet me, Carlo and Lorenzo. They provided me with a great book “L'Insieme Il Cerchio Aperto” that I'll go over more in depth at another time, but it's a charity project from 8 of the local producers from the Langhe area that contribute to a wine, L'Insieme, that is sold with proceeds going to needy causes. Lorenzo signed the book and gave it it to me for my birthday that I was celebrating that day.


The Revello family has a great history in the Annuziata hills in the La Morra commune. The family had always sold their grapes and wine unlabeled or wholesale to folks like Ratti and Borgogno. In 1990 they were influenced by their neighbors, like Elio Altare, whom knew the potential and quality of the grapes they were growing in this area and whom at that time had learned from his recent trip to France about improving winemaking techniques like pruning and barrel fermenting. In that year the family started to sell their own wines and their mother, Maria Rosa, started an agriturismo. There was no turning back for the family. 


Fratelli Revello winery Piedmont


Lorenzo, along with his wife Luciana, and Carlo, along with his wife Paola, all began to work in the family business managing the agriturismo and the brothers focused on the vineyards with Carlo caring mostly for the vineyards and Lorenzo, with his love of mechanics, caring for the tractors and cellars. If you're ever in the area stop by or even stay at their lovely winery in the heart this beautiful wine region.



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