Elvio Cogno Barolo Ravera 2017

Ravera is Novello's most important estate, producing wines with great perfume and complexity. It is a calcareous soil. Made in the traditional way, with 24 months in 25hl barrels of Slavonian oak and 12 months of refining in the bottle.

Elvio Cogno worked for many years for Marcarini, one of the leading Piedmontese wineries in La Morra. But, in 1990, he had the opportunity to acquire a historic estate in Novello, where the family resided, which he then had to restore to return to a state of top-quality production. At the top of that estate, called Bricco Ravera, is where the winery and the family home are located today, on an 18th century property surrounded by 11 hectares of vineyards. Today, with Elvio retired, his daughter Nadia and his son-in-law Valter Fissore are in charge of the family property. The vineyards are grown as Elvio cultivated them, with the utmost respect for the vineyard in search of its organic balance, and seeking low yields that allow a fruit of the highest quality at the height of the potential of the vineyards.

Of the many great contributions made by the winemaking team at Elvio Cogno, perhaps the greatest is the importance they brought to the Ravera cru of Novello. Little-known before their efforts, this vineyard has risen in high regard in recent years and continues to show impressive potential. The Barolo Ravera offers an important education in why this site deserves the spotlight. The wine shows terrific balance and depth, with rich fruit aromas framed by smoke, tar, ferrous earth and tangy licorice. The tannins are softly contoured, and the wine moves over the palate with profound length. Interestingly, two Nebbiolo clones, Lampia and Michet, are blended to make this wine. Some 15,000 bottles are hitting the market now.