Rovellotti
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Country of Origin: Italy
Location: Ghemme
People: Paolo & Antonello Rovellotti, Owners & Winemakers
Viticulture: Practicing Organic
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The Rovellotti family traces its roots in Ghemme to the latter stages of the 15th century. As Antonello Rovellotti proclaimed: “The Rovellotti name is truly Ghemmese.” Of the less than 200 people in the world who carry that family name, 66 live in and around Ghemme and the rest can be found in other parts of Italy, in France and in Argentina.
Ghemme itself is a town of ancient tradition. At its center is the “Ricetto” a walled compound that served as a refuge for people of the area during times of strife and war. This citadel of 12,000 square meters was first mentioned in documents dating to the 10th century. Eventually, this brick-built structure evolved into a communal storehouse for the agricultural products native to the area with most of the surface being dedicated to wine. It is there that much of the work of producing the Rovellotti wines takes place…a historic cantina for the ultimate classical wines of Ghemme.
Antenello’s fanatical devotion to his hometown extends beyond his ancient cellars: he has collaborated since the 1980s with the University of Milan to re-establish the natural environmental and ecological balance of his lands, and eventually strives to use zero chemicals in his viticulture. His fidelity to his vines, the area’s local insects, and to the land itself are a model for vignaioli everywhere. The family’s 15 hectares are in Ghemme’s Baraggiola subzone, the southernmost in the appellation, and are among four main parcels: the Valle d’Enrico (planted to the Erbaluce for the family’s Passito), the Valplazza (planted to Nebbiolo bottled as Colline Novarese), the Chioso dei Pomi in Baraggiola’s center (recognized as a prime site since the 17th century and planted to Nebbiolo and Vespolina for the estate’s Ghemme), and the Costa del Salmino (also long-recognized as a prime site and planted to the domaine’s oldest Nebbiolo vines, form the spine of the Ghemme Riserva).
Rovellotti’s Ghemme wines, along with his other cuvées, shine as some of the brightest stars in this exciting region, brimming with potential and waiting to be discovered.