About Boniperti:

A quotation from Gilberto Boniperti's website: ' 'When you don't know what to do, go out in the vineyards, there's always something to do there!' I would never have imagined that phrase, repeated so many times by my grandfather, would become one of his great teachings, and a cardinal rule of my philosophy of work and of life: dedication to my vineyards, many hours of manual labor, attention to the details of vinification and finally patiently waiting for the necessary maturation of my wines.'

Gilberto combines this attention to the traditional work of a wine-grower with the technical knowledge gained by studying enology at the acclaimed school in Alba, as well as occasional pieces of advice from our friend Cristiano Garella, who used to work at Sella but is now consulting to a number of small producers in northern Piedmont. The results are as you would expect, well-made, expressive, thoughtful wines made from Nebbiolo and the local Vespolina (a relative of Nebbiolo). He is a producer to watch.

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The Wines:

Rosato 'Rosadisera'

I take 'Rosadisera' to mean 'evening rosè,' which is the best idea I've heard all day. This is 100% Nebbiolo, made by 'saignèe' with one day of skin contact, fermented in stainless steel and bottled in the late spring.

Nebbiolo Rosè from northern Piedmont is a relatively new kind of wine, but this tastes like a long-standing classic; beautiful pale pink color, aromas of wild strawberry, watermelon and pomegranate, fresh acidity, both refreshing and deeply flavorful. Grilled salmon, roast chicken, many pork dishes...

Vespolina 'Favolalunga'

Ian d'Agata, in his authoritative book Native Wine Grapes of Italy, describes Vespolina as '...one of Italy's best native grape varieties...' and this part of northern Piedmont is its home.

Medium red, not that different in color from Nebbiolo, of which it is a relative; spicy aroma and flavor (cinnamon, black pepper), cedar/sandalwood, red-fruited, mid-weight, really useful table wine. I will be drinking quite a bit of this.

Nebbiolo 'Carlin'

Mid-weight everyday Nebbiolo; beautiful mid-ruby color, rose-petals, red fruit, very fresh, some mineral notes, aged entirely in stainless steel. I had this with pizza recently and it was excellent but this will go with all sorts of foods. If you drink Pinot Noir much you should be drinking this too, similar weight and similar food matches.

fara ‘Barton’

Fara is the southernmost appellation in the cluster of them that constitute Alto Piemonte, about 2 hours north of the Barolo area. The Fara wines are based on the Nebbiolo grape, with the remainder of the blend normally being made up by the local varieties Vespolina or Uva Rara (Nebbiolo is often blended with local varieties in Alto Piemonte). Gilberto Boniperti’s Fara is from a 1-acre vineyard he planted in 2007; the blend is 70% Nebbiolo and 30% Vespolina; the wine is macerated with the skins for about 3 weeks, then aged on the traditional larger barrels; the result is supple, clean, rich with aromas and flavors of red fruits, sandalwood, and baking spices. If you love Pinot Noir you will love this style of Nebbiolo.

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more information:

Visit the Boniperti Website

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