Cinghialot by Gabriele Mattalia on the Chieri hills

In the hills of Chieri, the young 22-year-old winemaker Gabriele Mattalia produces Cinghialot, a red made from the Freisa grape.

In order to understand, before analyzing, one or more wine-growing areas-not only in Piedmont-a look at the geological history that led to the development of what today are the horizons of the soil that, especially companies, cannot avoid knowing is appropriate, or should be. 

A necessary introduction to immerse ourselves tar the hills of the Chierese area, just a few kilometers from the first capital of Italy. Here, between 7 and 5 million years ago, the Mediterranean Sea remained isolated from the Atlantic, soon becoming a shallow salty lake; large amounts of saline-type sediments were deposited in this time ace. The "Piedmontese sea" lapped the entire Alpine and Apennine ranges, and emerging were the very hills of Chieri where the wine that is the subject of this article, Cinghialot, was born. A fresh, fragrant, full-bodied and highly drinkable red, made from the Freisa grape, vinified by young winemaker Gabriele Mattalia, currently at "school" at the cellars of Luca Balbiano, among the main poles of application of this native grape; already widespread in the 1500s, Freisa is vine of the year for the Piedmont Region, grown in 130 hectares on the Chieri hills.

The spirit of preservation that characterizes it has also recently been made concrete in a second project, with the active involvement of the city of Chieri. Within the green area of the Fortress of Rocchetta from which its Garden takes its name, there is an arbor that housed old strains of Muscat de Saint Vallier (French table grape), from historical documents it was found that as early as 1910 the plot was marked as a "vineyard with stakes." This is a medieval fort added to the second circle of walls built between 1369 and 1382 by order of the Savoy family to protect the Gialdo Gate, one of the city gates, which was located between the Rocchetta and today's Benedictine nuns' convent. The small vineyard within the city, cared for over the decades by the municipality of Chieri and associations, has since 2018 been part of a file presented by Mattalia, aimed at the enhancement and management of the entire area; since this summer, with the securing of the site, the planting of 300 new Freisa vines has begun. The goal is to create a true urban vineyard, a green lung to protect the history of the vine so closely linked to the city.

Vino Rosso Cinghialot 2021 

92/100 - € 15

Prevalentemente Freisa da piante di 80-100 anni. Vinificazione in acciaio, macerazione di 15 giorni circa e 3 mesi di bâtonnage sulle fecce fini. Rubino porpora. Tra piccole noti di frutti di bosco e mentolo, si fanno strada sensazioni più fungine e di roccia. Vino di energia, la materia è protratta con intensità, il gusto si concentra nel palato e permane nel retro olfatto. Conduce e libera il sorso l’acidità.
L’attuale produzione consta di appena 346 bottiglie essendo la superficie del vigneto di appena 0,2 ha.