Eugenio Bocchino
La Morra (CN) - PIEDMONT
Eugenio Bocchino and Cinzia Pelazza cultivate around five hectares of vineyards in La Morra, right in the heart of the Barolo country. Some plots were once owned by Cinzia's grandfather. Others were added during their now 20+ year winemaking careers.
Like many who have studied economics, Eugenio got bored and felt that he needed to do something completely different. He started working in a cellar in Barbaresco, while also trying his luck as a pro-skier. Skiing didn’t make him famous, so in 1996 Eugenio produced his first vintage of 500 bottles of Nebbiolo.
In 2000 Eugenio and Cinizia began to introduce natural winemaking practices into their vineyards. Thanks to Cinzia’s background in biology, and keen interest in fungi and soils and how they interact with vines, they also started to incorporate some biodynamic farming principles. Cinzia has done a lot of research on the subject over the years and translated French winemaker Nicolas Joly’s book on biodynamic wine into Italian. In 2010 Eugenio and Cinizia became members of Joly's Renaissance de Terroir Group and the natural wine movement, ViniVeri.
Today, there is a consistent effort to reduce sulphur and especially copper in the vineyards, including by experimenting with various preparations and oils. They only use indigenous yeasts. Aging is done in traditional botti rather the new oak barrels. The wines are neither clarified nor filtered. No additives are allowed with the exception of a little sulphur.
Eugenio is old school in his winemaking, using techniques that require little elaboration. He believes that wines should reflect good soils and pristine grapes rather than what happens in the cellar. They try to avoid over-extracting their wines by doing as few rimontaggi (pump-overs) as possible during fermentation. They also carry out minimal racking during ageing. They treat their Nebbiolos almost like white wines.
The result is wines that are open and approachable, emphasising purity and elegance, with beautifully managed tannins.
Producer | Eugenio Bocchino
Region | Piedmont
Variety | Barbera
Alcohol | 14%
Tom is the nickname of the dachshund (Tomomi) of the family. A superb example of Barbera d’Alba made with Eugenio Bocchino’s signature old world style and light hand in the cellar. This wine comes from 30 years old vines in Bocchino’s 2.3 ha vineyard in Frazione Santa Maria (La Morra) and part from 70 years old vineyard in Verduno. Picked at the perfect maturation, the grapes are mostly de-stemmed and left ferment with the skins for about 12 days. Less as possible pumps-over are carried during this time. After racking, the wine is transferred into 20/35 hl old oak barrels for about 12 months.
Producer | Eugenio Bocchino
Region | Piedmont
Variety | Nebbiolo
Alcohol | 14.5%
Located close to Barbaresco in the Alba comune and is the first vineyard that Eugenio and Cinzia planted in the mid 90s. It’s location lies exactly between Barolo and Barbaresco and is therefore declared Langhe Nebbiolo. Mainly based on clay, limestone and good amount of sand component, the density is 5000 plants per hectare with an average yield of 1kg/plant. Eugenio considers this wine to be on the same level of great Barolo and treats it with similar appreciation in the cellar. De-stemmed, then fermented in stainless steel tank with the skins for about a month with submerged cap technique. Gentle pressed and then aged three years in old ’botti’ of 2500 litres. After bottling the wine refine two years before release.
Producer | Eugenio Bocchino
Region | Piedmont
Variety | Nebbiolo, Barbera
Alcohol | 14.5%
Named after Cinzia’s grandfather, from a tiny vineyard just outside La Morra that now belong to Cinzia and her sister Patrizia. About 50 years old vines Nebbiolo with 120 vines of Barbera planted around too. Fermented together and aged for at least 2 years in old tonneaux and resting in bottle for about three years before release. Not produce every year.
Producer | Eugenio Bocchino
Region | Piedmont
Variety | Nebbiolo
Alcohol | 14.5%
Named after Lucia, Cinzia and Eugenio’s daughter, Lu is a selection of late-harvest grapes from the La Serra and Fossati vineyards. Adjacent to each other, these sites share similar characteristics: sandy-clay soils, high altitudes, cool climates, and excellent ventilation. The grapes are carefully de-stemmed and macerated with submerged cap for about thirty days before ageing for two years in old botti. Followed by six to twelve months in concrete vats before resting in bottle for an additional year before release. Subtle differences in soil composition have historically led to the cultivation of both Nebbiolo and Barbera in Fossati. A small percentage of Barbera is included in Lu, contributing additional acidity and precision.