8/20/26 - 

The magic of Nebbiolo is in its ability to shapeshift depending on soil type, weather patterns, and the hands of the winemaker. Giovanna Rizzolio's examples in Barbaresco are elegant, high toned, ethereal, fragrant, refined and are some of our absolute favorites! Their beautiful house has been in the family since 1948, but Giovanna bought it over and converted it into the winery we know & love today in 1992. Since the beginning, she has consistently focused on hand picking, minimal intervention, large barrel aging, and resisting modernization. Her impacts in the world of purposefully made, small production Barbaresco have been major!

Three Crus: Rio Sordo, Tre Stelle & Marcorino

Giovanna started Cascina delle Rose in the historic Rio Sordo cru with vineyards planted in 1958. The soils are calcareous limestone with sand and about a meter of topsoil bringing a touch more power compared to Tre Stelle. Distinct for its thin topsoil, Tre Stelle was segmented off of Rio Sordo in 2006 and awarded its own MGA. Giovanna and her sons, Riccardo and Davide, who are now running things, are the only growers in Tre Stelle. 50 year old Nebbiolo vines dig deep into limestone bedrock bringing a lithe, nervy, stony quality to the wines. I was lucky to taste 2023 samples at the estate this Spring and they were already incredibly open and aromatic. I would say 2023 is most comparable to 2020 but with a bit more structure, lovely to drink now or age. The last of their holdings is the renowned Marcorino cru, acquired in 2018 and split between Nebbiolo planted in 1944 and Arneis in 1977. Marcorino distinguishes itself from Tre Stelle and Rio Sordo for its sandier soils and is the burliest, most concentrated Barbaresco in the lineup.

All three Barbaresco are fermented without temperature control in small tanks to avoid heat spikes, keeping things cool and steady. While they have played with submerged cap maceration, more recently they returned to their mother's tradition of délestage which softens tannins and invites bright aromatics to the party. Then, after about a month, wines are moved to large, neutral, Slavonian oak for two years of aging.

The estate is only 5.5 hectares total, so much of the fruit for the Langhe Nebbiolo,  Dolcetto, Barbera, and Arneis are coming from their prime vineyards. The 2025 Langhe Nebbiolo is made with all Tre Stelle fruit, just macerated less, aged in stainless steel and released younger. 2025 was a classic vintage for Barbaresco and the wine has so much finesse, vertical acidity, plump vinous fruit and an herbaceous, leafy scent. The slightly more robust 2023 Barbera d'Alba Superiore Donna Elena is also Tre Stelle fruit and spends 18 months in large Slavonian barrels. Riccardo says their Barbera is perfect with fatty foods, his personal favorite pairing being Amatriciana. Their easiest, most joyful red wine ('Banale' in Italian) is 2025 Dolcetto A Elizabeth aged in a mix of stainless steel and concrete. It jumps out of the glass with raspberry, and crunchy purple fruits and flowers with refreshing acidity. Their only white wine, 2025 Arneis Mun Crü, is sourced from 50 year old Marcorino vines. A kiss of skin contact followed by stainless steel aging preserves the lively notes of nectarine, jasmine, honey, and citrus peel.

Wines of such elegance and finesse start with meticulous care in the vineyards. All interventions are natural, apart from a small amount of copper and sulfur only when necessary. During a heat spike, Caolino (Kaolin clay) is applied to the grapes to protect delicate skins from the sun. For humidity, zeolite prevents mildew. And ortica (nettles) are planted around vines to keep pests at bay. Riccardo even showed me the shoot selection process, knowing instinctively which to remove and alternating sides from the prior year to prevent vine stress. To the right is a vine in Tre Stelle, just behind the family home with its healthy, green grass.

Cheers to Riccardo, Davide, Giovanna, & Italo and their beautiful new releases!

-Marisa Licandro

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