La Spinetta

The Rivetti family story began in the 1890s when Giovanni Rivetti, grandfather to brothers Carlo, Bruno and Giorgio, left Piedmont for Argentina. Like many Italians at that time, he dreamed of returning rich and a powerful man, and perhaps even one day having the opportunity to make a great wine in his homeland. Though Giovanni never did, his son, Giuseppe (nicknamed "Pin"), fulfilled the dream. Pin married Lidia, purchased vineyards, and began to make wine. In 1977 the family took up residence at LA SPINETTA (meaning "top of the hill") in Castagnole Lanze, located in the heart of the area well-known for Moscato d'Asti, a rather light and simple dessert wine at the time. The Rivetti's believed, however, that Moscato had the potential for greatness and set out to prove it by producing the region's first single-vineyard Moscato wines, Bricco Quaglia and Biancospino.

 

Over time, the family's vision became even grander, and in 1985 LA SPINETTA made its first red wine, Barbera Cà di Pian, with many great reds to follow. In 1989 the Rivetti brothers named their red blend (Nebbiolo/Barbera) "Pin" in honor of their father. The first Barbaresco, Gallina, was produced in 1995 followed by Barbarescos Starderi, Barbera d'Alba Gallina in 1996 and and Barbaresco Valeirano in 1997. Barbera d'Asti Superiore entered the lineup in 1998.

 

In 2000 the family's ambition of adding a Barolo to the winery production became a reality. The Rivetti's acquired vineyards in Grinzane Cavour where a state of the art cellar, LA SPINETTA Campè, was also constructed. 

 

In 2001 LA SPINETTA expanded beyond the borders of Piedmont, acquiring 65 hectares (160 acres) of vineyards in Tuscany, between Pisa and Volterra, where three different 100% Sangiovese wines are produced. For LA SPINETTA Sangiovese is the true ambassador of the Tuscan terrain. From 2004 to 2012 the indigenous Tuscan portfolio was completed with the production of a Colorino, a Vermentino, a Prugnolo Gentile, a Chianti and a Rosé wine made from Sangiovese and Prugnolo Gentile. 

 

In 2011 LA SPINETTA yet adds another winery to the exisiting thrre and purchases Italy's oldest Metodo Classico sparkling wine producer, CONTRATTO, in Canelli, Piedmont. The exquisite bubbles of CONTRATTO as well as the Vermouths and Bitter make LA SPINETTA's already large wine portfolio complete.

The vast majority of our efforts at LA SPINETTA are dedicated to the vineyards, which are treated with the utmost care, attention and respect, particularly in regards to agronomic practices and production quantities. We utilize no, or the absolute minimum possible amount of chemicals and maintain a relatively small production (only 17-20 hl (3.1-3.3 tons) per hectare). We appreciate that our vineyards have been in existence long before LA SPINETTA began making wine and we are aware that these same vineyards will outlast us.

 

Not having inherited our land through generations of winemakers, our vineyards were carefully selected. All of our vineyards face south, south-east or south-west and most od the vines are quite old (35-65 years). We believe that only vines of substantial age are able to contribute minerality, longevity, complexity, and the particular characteristics of a distinct terrain to the wine. We use the younger vines in the production to only make three wines: Barbera Cà di Pian, Langhe Nebbiolo and Il Nero di Casanova. All other wines are made from old vine grapes.

 

In the vineyard, each plant receives extensive year-round care. The yields are kept extremely low and we do not use chemical products, fertilizers or pesticides. 75% of the vineyards are worked accoring to biodynamic principles.

Our philosophy is to take one step back, away from the globalization of character and taste, going back to the roots and the history of our land. In Piedmont we grow the indigenous grape varieties Barbera, Nebbiolo and Moscato while the traditional Sangiovese, Colorino and Vermentino grapes are featured at our Tuscan Estate.

Between the beginning of July and the beginning of August, and up to three times each summer, we cut off bunches of unripe grapes in order to reduce production quantities and maximize quality. This practice is called " Green Harvest" and requires great skill, as the grape quantity needs to be reduced to an optimal level, taking into consideration both past and future weather conditions and particular characteristics of the vintage. 

Only through the production of small quantities (yields of 2,500 bottle per hectare) are we able to transmit the characteristics and identity of the terrain and achieving great quality, obtaining an optimal concentration of sugar, a perfect ripeness of tannins and maintaining pure fruit flavors in the juice. 

Giorgio himself supervises each Green Harvest. As growth, yields and grape size differ from vintage to vintage, it is very important for Giorgio to set goals in advance regarding how many bunches to cut for each variety and vineyard. The earlier the Green Harvest, the more sun and energy the remaing fruit is able to absorb before it is time for picking.

Generally we start the harvest with our white varieties at the beginning of September: Moscato, Chardonnay and Sauvignon. At the end of September/beginning of October we harvest Barbera followed by Nebbiolo in the middle of October.

 

The perfect moment to begin picking in each individual vineyard is determined by the ripeness of the grapes, the sugar and acidity content, and overall weather conditions. Generally LA SPINETTA starts picking a week or two before most other producers in the area, since the extensive green harvest, carried out during the summer months tends to encourage a quicker ripening process of the fruit.

 

All of our grapes are picked by hand and placed in small plastic bins for transport to the winery. This manual process requires great attention from the moment the fruit is picked in the vineyard to the moment it is crushed in the cellar.