Mauro Franchino’s Gattinara is a typical, austere and very territorial red wine, vinified in cement tanks and aged for at least 36 months in large oak barrels. It reveals itself as austere and deep, with aromas of roots, underbrush, dried leaves, jammy fruit and with earthy hints. The palate is noble, structured and intense, supported by great minerality and freshness

Austere, noble and profound, at times shy and reserved, Mauro Franchino’s Gattinara seems to reflect the personality of its producer, an authentic winemaker in northern Piedmont, a man from another era who for decades has been cultivating three hectares of vineyards and producing small quantities of wine, far from the spotlight and known only to a few enthusiasts. It unfilteredly reflects the traditionalist style of northern Piedmont, without conceding any of the warm, soft roundness of the international style. Tension, tannin, minerality and freshness stir a powerful and vigorous structure, giving it momentum and dynamism and making the sip satisfying, deep and three-dimensional.

Franchino’s Gattinara is produced in small quantities from Nebbiolo grapes from less than 3 hectares of vineyards. In a small winery in the center of the town of Gattinara, carved out of an old building, it ferments in concrete tanks, where it stays for about 12 months, and matures slowly for at least 36 months in large 25-hectoliter oak barrels. At the end of the production process, the bottles are filled and corked with a manual bottling machine, and once released, they can still rest for many years to reach their perfect maturity. In fact, the tannic component and vibrant freshness make this red very long-lived.

In Mauro Franchino’s Gattinara, the nobility of Nebbiolo is cloaked in an aura of ancient charm, blowing in from a distant past, dragging autumn leaves with it. Typical elegant odor nuances of violets, wilted red flowers and small jammy fruits coexist with earthy hints of dried leaves, underbrush, roots, humus, coffee and licorice. Neither does it deny its rural origins on the palate, giving a robust and structured sip, very flavorful and persistent, with great savoriness and vibrant freshness, with pleasant and expressive mineral hints. His austere and introverted nature requires patience and attention at times, but it is a commitment that eventually pays off in full, gratifying the senses.