Winemaker Notes
Critical Acclaim
All VintagesBright, fresh, and juicy, with crisp and racy acidity as well as lovely notes of plum and cherry. Drink it with pasta.
Tenute Cisa Asinari dei Marchesi di Grésy has been owned by the di Grésy family since 1797. The estate includes four properties located in Langhe and Monferrato, home to Piedmont’s greatest wines. Before the 1960s the estate operated like a traditional farm, producing livestock, vegetables and fruits - including grapes. At the time, the grapes were sold to the finest wine producers in the area, as was the tradition in the Langhe. In the early 1970s Alberto di Grésy realized the potential of his vineyards and decided that he had to vinify his own grapes.
In 1973 he produced his first vintage with the objective of transferring the class and character of the terroir, vineyards and varietal into the bottle, using the best available technology and respect for tradition. In 2013 Alberto’s son and daughter, Alessandro and Ludovica di Grésy began their adventure in the family’s winery working alongside their father. To this day, Marchesi di Grésy only vinifies grapes coming from their properties, 111 acres of vineyards divided among the Martinenga, Monte Aribaldo, La Serra and Monte Colombo estates.
Of exceptional note, the Martinenga vineyard is one of the Langhe’s finest and the largest single owned "monopole" in the region and has been owned by the di Grésy family since 1797. Martinenga is known for producing some of the finest cru-designated Barbareschi. It is planted with the Nebbiolo sub-varieties Lampia, Rosé and Michet, whose mix produce the most elegant Nebbiolo wines. With its southern exposure, blue marl soil and elevations from 820 to 918 feet, the Martinegna cru possesses ideal growing conditions and allows Nebbiolo fruit to reach full maturity even in difficult vintages.
The Monte Aribaldo estate, the first to be property of the family dating back to 1650, rises between Treiso and Barbaresco and overlooks the valley of Martinenga. Dolcetto d'Alba, Chardonnay and Sauvignon are grown here, at an average elevation of 1,200 feet. The La Serra and Monte Colombo vineyards in Monferrato are planted with Moscato d'Asti, Barbera d'Asti and Merlot (Monferrato Rosso). The clay-based soils here and the microclimate are optimal for the finest red wines.
The vinification and aging of all four estates occur at Martinenga and in 2000 the family decided to expand the cellar to facilitate this. In order to minimize the environmental impact on the surrounding hills, the cellar was built entirely underground. In October 2019 the family opened dai Grésy in Langa, a luxury agriturismo and spa located at the Monte Aribaldo estate.
An historic village situated right in between the famous regions of Barolo and Barbaresco, Alba is also the name for the larger wine region surrounding the village.
In a sense, “Alba” is a catch-all phrase, and includes the declassified Nebbiolo wines made in Barolo and Barbaresco, as well as the Nebbiolo grown just outside of these regions’ borders. In fact, Nebbiolo d’Alba is a softer, less tannic and more fruit-forward wine ready to drink within just a couple years of bottling. It is a great place to start if you want to begin to understand the grape. Likewise, the even broader category of Langhe Nebbiolo offers approachable and value-driven options as well.
Barbera, planted alongside Nebbiolo in the surrounding hills, and referred to as Barbera d’Alba, takes on a more powerful and concentrated personality compared to its counterparts in Asti.
Dolcetto is ubiquitous here and, known as Dolcetto d'Alba, can be found casually served alongside antipasti on the tables of Alba’s cafes and wine bars.
Not surprisingly, given its location, Alba is recognized as one of Italy’s premiere culinary destinations and is the home of the fall truffle fair, which attracts visitors from worldwide every year.
An easy drinking red with soft fruity flavors—but catchy tannins, Dolcetto is often enjoyed in its native Piedmont on a casual weekday night, or for apertivo (the canonical Piedmontese pre-dinner appetizer hour). Somm Secret—In most of Piedmont, easy-ripening Dolcetto is relegated to the secondary sites—the best of which are reserved for the king variety: Nebbiolo. However, in the Dogliani zone it is the star of the show, and makes a more serious style of Dolcetto, many of which can improve with cellar time.