The Alto Piemonte village of Gattinara lies tucked into the hills between Turin and Milan. In the modern era, Barolo and Barbaresco (90 km south) hog the Nebbiolo limelight, but in the 19th century some of Italy’s most sought-after Nebbiolo came from Gattinara. Locally, Nebbiolo is called Spanna, and there is a clear stylistic difference with Barolo and Barbaresco. Slightly lighter-bodied Gattinara relies less on sheer power, and more on perfume and elegance. Yet with tangy acidity and sometimes formidable tannins, the wines of Gattinara have a long capacity to age.

Mauro Franchino is the most authentically old-school Gattinara producer. The DOCG allows small proportions of a few other local varieties, but Franchino has always made wine exclusively from Nebbiolo. Mauro himself recently hung up his secateurs, after bringing in nearly 60 vintages from his 3 hectares of (now) 50+ year-old Nebbiolo vines, planted in stony, silicate-rich soils washed down from the Alps. Mauro’s nephew Alberto Raviciotti now runs the show, very much working in his uncle’s vein. As ever, fermentations are carried out in concrete with a 20-day maceration, followed by 3 years in well-weathered 25hl Slavonian botti. Septuagenarian Mauro is still often to be found at the cantina, keeping a benevolent eye on what Alberto is up to.

The Franchino vineyards lie near the village tower you see depicted on his bottle labels. This iconic picture originates from the standardised label issued to all producers by the local consorzio. Franchino is the only producer still to be using the image. (NT 10/08/23)