For decades this estate has been owned by and largely ignored by the Bonollo family, whose main business is distilling. The Argillae estate was a summer home and the source of wine for them to drink and to use as gifts for their big customers. Until recently they never exploited it fully. Having said which, it is still the pride and joy of grandfather Giuseppe who bought it. Her grandfather bought well, the vineyards are surrounded by those of illustrious neighbours and they have great soil and exposition.

Enter the youngest generation. After a grand university education and embarked on a plum career in the Milan fashion industry, Giulia has taken over the estate; in fact she`s gripped it firmly by the scruff of the neck and given it a good shaking. The quality of the farming and the wines has soared, they make a spumante entirely in house rather than contracting it out, they are introducing their own reed bed water purification system and so on. For a woman in her twenties in a rural Italian man`s world, Giulia manages both firmly and humanely and her lasting stamp is already apparent in the wines. They are great value and well worth a try. (CW 05/01/18)