Leathery and stemmy aromas with cranberry and red cherry. There is a distinctive forest floor both on the nose and the palate. The tannins are youthful and structured with flavors of dried herbs, violet, and dark cherry. 

WINE INFORMATION

The Travaglini family has owned land in Gattinara since the beginning of the 19th century. They farmed a few hectares of land and produced wine for local consumption. The small winery started with Clemente Travaglini, who was succeeded by his son Arturo. It was not until 1958, however, that Arturo’s son, Giancarlo, established the Travaglini Estate Winery.  Giancarlo recognized a greater potential in Gattinara and executed groundbreaking changes in his vineyards and cellar, unseen before in the appellation. For example, he pioneered research into improving viticultural methods, such as high density planting (up to 5,000vines/ha), 100% hand-harvesting, and Guyot vine training; today these are common throughout Gattinara. He was also the first local producer to experiment with barriques. His passion for Nebbiolo helped raise the profile of Gattinara, which received DOCG status in 1988. Fourth-generation Cinzia Travaglini now runs the estate, along with her husband Massimo Collauto, chief winemaker. Their efforts and those of previous generations have made Travaglini one of Italy’s most recognizable wines and the #1 selling Gattinara in the world. Their children, Alessia and Carolina, are now involved and will be the next generation to run the estate.

Travaglini wines have a distinctive bottle shape, featuring a unique curve that fits naturally in the palm of the hand and serves to catch sediment during decanting. Designed to celebrate Travaglini’s excellent 1952 vintage, the bottle was so well received that family decided to keep it as their trademark.

Gattinara and Coste del Sesia lie in the rocky foothills of the Monte Rosa range, where ventilating winds blow down from the nearby Alps. Soils are rocky and rich in porphyry, granite and iron, imparting a reddish color. Like that in the Alps, Monte Rosa’s sedimentary rock is highly acidic, due to low levels of calcium carbonate and magnesium and an absence of calcium. Vines grown in this rare soil produce grapes with a unique flavor profile, as well high acidity and tannins. The northern mountainous location experiences a continental climate, with very cold winters, warm, sunny summers, and a strong diurnal temperature shift.  Hand-harvested grapes are crushed and macerated for about 12-14 days in stainless steel tanks at controlled temperature. The wine ages 4 months in stainless steel tanks, and is then aged 10 months in used Slavonian oak casks.

Charcuterie, Cheese, Chicken/Turkey, Duck, Fish-full flavored (salmon/tuna), Fondue, Ham, Hearty stew, Mushrooms, Tomato Sauce