Mazzoni
0 products
Ghemme may not be as respected or visible in the wine world as its southern siblings, Barolo and Barbaresco. However, Tiziano Mazzoni, a biker, a rebel at heart, and a talented vigneron, is heralding the revival of this small, 32-hectare (84-acre) region. Though Tiziano may be inspired by Barolo, taking many trips south on his motorcycle, the Mazzoni wines display their distinct character, showcasing power and elegance in equal measure.
The Mazzoni family has had a long history of winemaking in the small village of Ghemme. However, winemaking in the previous generations has not always been a financially stable option. In the 1960s, Tiziano’s grandfather left the vineyards to work in the factory, as many agricultural Italians did during the industrial age. Yet wine remained a vital staple in the Mazzoni family, and the siren call of the vineyard was just too tempting for Tiziano to ignore.
In his many bike trips to Langhe, Tiziano became acquainted with the style of Nebbiolo produced in the famed villages of Barolo and Barbaresco. Soon it was time for he explored the terroirs of his village of Ghemme.
In 1999, he purchased three acres of vineyard in Ghemme, a small portion of which was planted in the late 1960s—a symbolic bridge, in a sense, connecting his family’s leaving the land to his return to it. Today, Tiziano farms 11 acres in Ghemme, focusing on Nebbiolo and Vespolina, a native red grape with lively red fruit and floral aromas.
There’s no question that Tiziano and his wines set a new standard for Ghemme, a region that was named a DOCG in 1997. With just under 100 acres total, this northern appellation is certainly small!
What you’ll find in Ghemme—and above all with Mazzoni—is elegant and potent Nebbiolo, with an emphasis on red fruits and roses and supple and fine-grained tannins.
Mazzoni hand harvests and de-stemms all of his grapes, then ferments them on indigenous yeasts with long, slow macerations in stainless steel tanks. The family ages their two Ghemme DOCG wines in a combination of 500L old oak tonneaux and 1,500L French oak botti. Mazzoni wines are bottled unfined and unfiltered.
