Italy En Primeur

The Fenocchio family started farming in Barbaresco in the early nineteenth century. Farming was mixed but Renato’s side of the family specialised in grape growing from 1980. He and his wife Milva now have 13Ha - all in Barbaresco - and only began making their own wine in 2000, the grapes having been sold previously to a co-operative.

The wines are amazingly good for one who has made wine for a comparatively short time, but then Renato claims to have been wine making with his father from the age of 6! They have 11 small vineyards, each at different elevations, aspects and with different soils, bringing balance and complexity. The intense fruit can be attributed to enormous amounts of work, vine by vine, by Renato, Milva and their workers. As far as winemaking goes, they say, ""our philosophy when making wine is simple: tradition. We believe the process and techniques practice by farmers for hundreds of years is the only way to obtain the true wines of the region".