Azienda Vitivinicola Nervi. Founded by Luigi Nervi in 1906, Nervi is Gattinara’s oldest operating winery.
Wine Region
Piedmont, Italy
Vineyard
Giacomo Conterno
Azienda Vitivinicola Nervi. Founded by Luigi Nervi in 1906, Nervi is Gattinara’s oldest operating winery.Luigi’s son, Italo, grew the company by purchasing vineyards and expanding their cellars. Italo passed away in 1975, with no direct heirs and left his shares in Nervi to other relatives.The company was then sold to Germano Bocciolone in 1991, a steel manufacturing entrepreneur, who embarked on a massive investment programme, including a stainless steel vinification plant, 40 new Slavonian oak barrels and the replanting of the Molsino vineyard. His sons sold the majority share to the Astrup family in 2011.Erling Astrup had asked Roberto Conterno for his opinion before buying, and after tasting older vintages, Conterno said it was wholly impossible not to make great wine here. In April 2018, Roberto Conterno, acquired 90% of Azienda Vitivinicola Nervi. Between early 2019 and mid 2021 Roberto has embarked on and completed a brilliant re-organisation and rebuilding of all the winemaking, maturation and cellaring facilities as well as the addition of a new restaurant.
90%
In April 2018, Roberto Conterno, acquired 90% of Azienda Vitivinicola Nervi
100
Azienda Vitivinicola Nervi dates back more than 100 years
1983
Enrico Fileppo, now ably assisted by Matteo Gioioso, is the chief oenologist and has been with the winery since 1983.
The Vineyard
A series of seismic events has given the area of Gattinara a unique soil structure. 280 million years ago, volcanic rocks were created when the Valsesia super - volcano erupted.
Then, when Africa collided with Europe to form Monte Rosa 60 million years ago, these rocks were forced to the surface as gravel. Most of this was washed away over time, except for that of Gattinara’s higher slopes.
This has created a unique mineral - rich terroir. The gravel is rich in iron, manganese, zinc and copper. In addition, the high clay content - paralleled by Serralunga d’Alba - and an absence of chalk give rise to acidic soil conditions, perfectly suited to Nebbiolo. Nestled in the foothills of Monte Rosa, the vineyards are protected from northerly winds.
There are currently 28 hectares (ha) under vine:
Molsino, at 12ha, is Alto Piemonte’s finest southfacing amphitheatre. 7-8ha would ordinarily be considered for the Vigna Molsino bottling. The altitude is 350-420m.
Valferana is 8ha in size and is particularly high in iron and manganese, up to six times that of other Nebbiolo producing regions. Around 3-4ha would, at the moment, be considered for the Vigna Valferana bottling. The remainder is for the Gattinara. The altitude is 320m.
Garavoglie is 7ha and was replanted in 2015 with 13 different Spanna (local name for Nebbiolo) clones, ensuring the original Nebbiolo clones of Alto Piemonte remain an integral part of Nervi vineyards.
Casaccie is the last site, at a minute 1ha. Pruning and harvesting at all sites is carried out by hand.
The Cellar
The Cellar
The Cellar
In the cellar, native yeasts are used. Roberto is incredibly hands-on here, as one would expect. For the single vineyard wines - Vigna Valferana and Vigna Molsino - there is gentle destemming and crushing. Fermentation is in truncated conical oak vats, at controlled temperatures. Maceration lasts three to four weeks. The ageing that follows is for a minimum of 40 months in old wood. The sizes of the old wood vary up to 76hl; it is an extraordinary cellar. For the Gattinara, similarly, destemming and crushing is very gentle, followed by fermentation, again at controlled temperatures. The ageing here is for 30 months in large old wood.
The Cellar
The Cellar
The Cellar
Large oak casks, or botti, are used for ageing. More than 100 years of wine production have shown that only through a long and controlled ageing process can the high potential of Nebbiolo tannins be transformed into a well-balanced wine. For this reason, in the Nervi cellars, ageing time is lengthened to more than that required by the Gattinara DOCG. The minimum ageing required by the Gattinara DOCG is three years, one of which must be in cask. The wines of Nervi age, as above, for four years, at least two and a half years of which are in oak. This explains Luigi Nervi’s motto: “Nectar in tempore”, which implies that patient ageing in the cellar transforms the Nebbiolo grapes into the precious elixir which made the Roman gods immortal - just in case... you were in doubt.
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