Wines
Summary
Owners Natale and Francesca Simonetta make small amounts of wine on their estate originally purchased by Natale's father in 1979. Studying under Bruno Giacosa, Natale began producing wine in 1989, with his first commercial release coming in 1996. The hallmark feature of the winery is the use of the Nebbiolo Rosé clone in the vineyards. There are three clones of Nebbiolo: Limpia, Michet, and the ancestral Rosé. The latter is harder to cultivate, and fell victim to the switch to higher yielding farming in the 1950s. Prior to this era, producers in the region worked with the Rosé clone as the primary example of Nebbiolo, but the new Michet clone changed that over the next two decades. By the late 1970s, most of the new vineyards in Piedmont were planted to the tamer new clone, and still are today. The Rosé clone is much closer in style and flavor to the traditional wines of Piemonte made over the last eight centuries. The wines are produced in a traditional style with relatively long macerations and extended aging in large, neutral casks. Natural yeast fermentations are the practice with all of the wines.
