The family’s passion for Riesling has finally come to fruition in this wine produced for the first time in Ca’ del Baio’s history. It is grown on the coolest, windiest slopes and manages to convey the noblest qualities of Langa’s terroir.
Denomination: Langhe DOC Riesling
Place of growth: Estate vineyard located in the Ferrere district of the village of Treiso
Grape variety: 100% Rhine Riesling
Planting of vineyards: 2009
Soil type: calcareous, with a high sand content
Position: to the north
Harvest: end of September
VINIFICATION AND AGEING
gentle pressing of the grapes is followed by alcoholic fermentation in stainless steel at a temperature of around 16°C. The wine does not undergo malolactic fermentation and matures in tank under stirring for 12 months before bottling.
CHARACTERISTICS OF TASTE
color straw yellow with greenish highlights; nose intense and aromatic, with fruity notes showing pineapple and mango, and just the slightest hint of hydrocarbons; tastes dry, delicate, elegant, shows well-balanced acid/alcohol.
PAIRINGS
its fine, clean taste means that it is best served with light starters, oven-baked fish, snails and fresh cheese.
Serving temperature: 8°C
STORAGE
ready to drink 15 months after harvest, its characteristic mineral overtones will mature for several years if left in the dark at a constant temperature.
Ca’ del Baio has been owned and run by the Grasso family for 4 generations and since 1880. Today, the family has a distinguished portfolio of fields near the village of Treiso (7 km. from Alba) and in Barbaresco itself – a total of 28 ha. They thus have plots in some of the best fields in the area, including in “Asili”, “Valgrande”, “Marcarini” and “Pora”. Ca’ del Baio has (naturally) primarily planted the fields with Nebbiolo, but they also grow Barbera, Dolcetto, Moscato, Chardonnay and… Riesling!
For the Grasso family, respect for nature has always been a matter of course rather than a formulated philosophy, and for many years no artificial fertilizers or pesticides have been used in the fields. But in 2017, the respect gained substance in a more formulated philosophy, when they joined a new local project in Piedmont, which aims to promote a more sustainable and environmentally friendly wine production. The project is called “The Green Experience” and is an aid and control body where you undertake to respect and comply with a set of rules on 10 points. In addition to promoting a more sustainable and environmentally friendly wine production (including without chemicals), the set of regulations also aims to promote biodiversity, flora protection and the spread of beneficial insects and birds, for example.
