Italiano
Bricco del Bosco Vigne Vecchie, all the spices of Monferrato (2)
DoctorWine: Change in the contest of continuity. This seems to sum up what could be considered a “Piedmont style”.
Ermanno Accornero: I could agree with that. It is a style that is handed down and, despite fads and distractions, continues to have a future. It serves as a beacon that, while everything changes around it, incorporates fashions and techniques and continues to illuminate the course to navigators offering certainty and brand awareness to the social system of the whole area. This “Piedmont style” is increasingly evident in the originality and candor of the wines produced here in Monferrato. I, too, identify with this style, as if I were a planted here and drew my energy from the soil. I believe that it all depends on the examples one has been given, what you have been taught and the value you give to what you have. And this despite all the bias, obstacles and pitfalls you may encounter.
DW: Do you think that the name Grignolino, which is a nickname, may represent a problem?
EA: I don’t think so. Its name is its history and we are proud of its history. I do not see it a problem also because it has had this name since 700AD. For sure, when the regulations were drawn up for the appellation we would have preferred a more direct reference to the territory. But that didn’t happen and the problem also exists for other appellations.
DW: A hundred years ago, Grignolino was as famous as Barolo. What happened to change this?
EA: I think it was a combination of things. First was the boom in wine consumption which resulted in greater mechanizations and changes in the setup of the vineyard to accommodate this. And then there was the use of fertilizers and development of more productive clones and then, finally, the introduction of the classification system, which did not take into consideration any glorious past.
All the following wines were made exclusively with the Grignolino varietal, macerated for 40 days and aged first for 30 months in French-oak barrels and then for 24 months in the barrel.
The wine needs to age in the bottle to bring out its best with its balsamic/spice notes of cardamom leaning towards cinnamon. After ten years the wine is like a great white wine, putting all its fruit in the bottle. With aging the wine develops an aromatic complexity that can include nuances that are almost those of a Passito dessert wine or a Chinato, while always maintaining its Piedmont character of rhubarb and dried flowers. This is without a doubt a wine, especially in regard to its aromatic finesse, of the highest level.
Giulio Accornero & figli
Owner : Famiglia Accornero
Via Ca' Cima, 1
15049 Vignale Monferrato (AL)
Tel. +39 0142 933317
Fax +39 0142 933219
info@accornerovini.it
http://www.accornerovini.it
Facebook : Azienda-Agricola-Accornero-Giulio-figli
Foundation Year : 1897
Total Produced Bottles : 100.000
Hectares of vineyards : 22
