Castello di Verduno is a historic Piedmontese winery that mainly produces classic Barolo and Barbaresco. The vineyard is located in Verduno, the northernmost municipality of Barolo; although it had little recognition for many years, today it holds the attention of true Nebbiolo enthusiasts.

Gabriella Burlotto and Franco Bianco, the estate’s owners, along with their dedicated team of winemakers, produce traditional and elegant wines through careful organic farming. The stars of their work are undoubtedly the Barolo Monvigliero Riserva and the Barbaresco Rabaja, which perfectly translate the estate’s values and style.

It’s the inherent advantage in making wine in an historic appellation. A new generation of vignerons benefit from the accumulated experience passed on from previous generations, yet still push the envelope and innovate. The goal is to make the wines, which are already considered references, even better. This is precisely what the Sottimano family have done at their estate in Neive, one of the three communes which make up the prestigious Barbaresco appellation.

The man in charge of the estate is Andrea Sottimano, who recently took over from his father Rino, who founded the estate. The family owns parcels in five crus and produce four distinctive Barbarescos, each vinified identically and aged in French barriques. As with crus in Burgundy, tasting is the best way to understand the nuances of each of these extraordinary terroirs. Fausoni is always the most floral, elegant, as well as being the most accessible in youth. Currà and Cottà, which surround the family residence and winemaking facility, are wines of great density and structure, wines built for the long haul. Pajoré combines the best of both, showing power yet with great finesse. The vineyard of the cru Basarin, which was purchased in 2002, is principally younger vines whose grapes are destined for the family’s “Langhe Nebbiolo.” As with tradition in Piedmont, Sottimano also make a Dolcetto and a Barbera d’Alba. The portfolio finishes with a tasty curiosity as Andrea decided to make a Brachetto, which is vinified dry, called “Maté.”

While Sottimano already has a reputation as one of Piedmont’s top wineries, over the past five years the wines have reached new heights. A critic for one of Italy’s most prestigious wine guides recently confided in me that “Andrea is setting new standards and will write his own page in the history of Barbaresco.” Despite the critical acclaim, Sottimano’s wines remain very reasonably priced.

Visiting the Monchiero family is always a delight.

The route to Canale, 15 kilometers due north of the town of Alba, crosses the Tanaro river, and in doing so one leaves Langhe and enters the region of Roero. While it may be lesser-known than its neighbour, Roero is no less captivating. The soils are sandier, the hillsides are less imposing than in Barbaresco and Barolo. Consequently, the red wines, like the landscape, are softer, less stern and more delicate than in Langhe. It is also a terroir ideal for white wine production, where arneis is the grape variety of choice.

The tireless and affable Francesco runs the family domain, having taken over from his father Marco. Not only is it a joy to hang out and chat with Francesco, but he is also a vigneron of immense talent, so drinking with him is equally pleasurable. His white wines show an unbridled energy and purity. In red, the Pelisa barbera revels in its simplicity and the ease by which it drinks. The cuvée Srü is an authentic expression of Roero-grown nebbiolo, while “Printi” is more ambitious and can rival the wines of neighbouring Barolo.

Any attempt to offer up a resumé in a few paragraphs of the Gaja family history and their importance to the Piedmont region is bound to be inadequate.

The Gaja name is synonomous with Barbaresco, and it is impossible to be indifferent towards either the wines or the man behind it all, Angelo Gaja. The family has been making wine in the region since 1859. Angelo’s father, Giovanni, himself the son of a vigneron, had the wherewithal and foresight to identify and purchase some of the best parcels of land in Barbaresco. But it was in 1961, when Angelo took control, that the estate began its ascent to the summit of the world’s most important and valued wines. Through his unique genius and vision, Angelo was able to extract the best from these extraordinary terroirs and produce legendary wines.

While the estate’s flagship wine remains the classic Barbaresco, Angelo was equally ambitious about the potential of the Langhe region as a whole. He declared three “Grand crus” in the DOC which are just outside of the Barbaresco zone: Sorì San Lorenzo, Sorì Tildin and Costa Russi. Gaja also designated two other Crus, Sperss et Conteisa, as DOC Langhe despite being part of DOCG Barolo. The Barolo Dagromis, Sito Moresco and the 100% cabernet sauvignon Darmagi make up the rest of the reds. In white, there are two chardonnays, Gaia & Rey and Rossj-Bass, while the sauvignon blanc, Alteni Di Brassica, rounds out the portfolio.

The wines are made under the supervision of long time collaborator Guido Rivella, who has worked alongside Gaja for over 30 years. Continuing the family legacy, Angelo’s three children have joined the family business, with his daughter Gaia taking the reigns of the commercial side of the business. Nothing is left to chance, from the vineyard to the chai. The goal is simple: to make wines of the highest possible quality and to show what is unique of each of the terroirs. The Gaja family spends a great deal of time and energy on marketing, and not simply for their own wines. Angelo Gaja believes in the both the grandeur and possibility of Piedmont and has happily taken the role of its most vocal ambassador.

To the great dismay of his father, Elio Altare turned his back on many traditions in Barolo.

From green harvesting to reduce yields, to aging his wines in French barriques in lieu of the classic botti, every tradition was questioned in the spirit of innovation, with the ultimate goal to raise the quality of the region’s wines. With the adoption of many of these new winemaking techniques, Elio Altare quickly became known as the leader of the “modernist” movement. Alongside Angelo Gaja, this coterie of winemakers dared to be different and by doing so, helped raise the standard of quality throughout the region.

Altare’s estate is located in the Barolo commune of La Morra, famous for producing wines of finesse and elegance. For much of the estates’s history, wines were made uniquely from grapes grown in this commune. More recently, grapes from select parcels in Saralunga and Castiglione Falletto have been introduced into the mix.

Constant innovation has remained the axiom at the Altare family estate which is now run with the same degree of enthusiasm and innovation by Elio’s daughter, Silvia. Wether it’s doing two completely different types of vinification for the same parcel as in the Barolo “Arborina” and Langhe “Arborina,” or de-stemming bunches by hand for an experimental micro-cuvée, the goal remains to keep pushing forward and raising the bar, and to show that tradition and innovation are not mutually exclusive.

Domenico Clerico is a true live wire. His wines reflect the way he lives his life, full of passion and intensity.

In his youth, his grandfather called him an “aeroplan sarvaj,” an “airplane flying out of control” in local Piedmontese dialect. Along with Elio Altare, Clerico was part of the modernist movement in Barolo during the 80’s and 90’s, using winemaking methods which went against the grain of tradition such as reducing maceration times and aging their wines in French barriques.

Generous, exuberant and powerful, Clerico’s wines are made without compromise. Grapes are harvested at optimal maturity from low yielding vineyards in the superb terroirs of Monforte d’Alba. The resulting wines show great density and colour, and are built for extended cellaring. While Clerico has always used barriques for all of his cuvées, much of them new, he has recently changed course and has toned down his use of oak. Both the Dolcetto “Visadi” and Barbera “Trevigne” are now made in stainless steel tanks while the precentage of new oak used for his Barolos has been reduced.

Situated northern Piedmont, under 100km from Milan, Gattinara might be the most underestimated appellation in Italy.

It flies under the radar, existing in the shadow of two of not only Piedmont’s, but Italy’s most venerable appellations, Barolo and Barbaresco. Like its esteemed neighbours, Gattinara’s reds are made with nebbiolo, known locally as spanna.

Winemaking in the Gattinara dates back to the 12th century, but after a cataclysmic hailstorm in 1905 the vineyard was practically abandoned until the 1960’s. Today, their is renewed interest in this historic appellation and if people are coming back to Gattinara’s wines, it’s in part due to the region’s most renowned winery, Antoniolo.

Founded in 1948, the winery is operated by the brother and sister team of Lorella et Alberto Antoniolo. Their mother, Rosanna, remains a legend in this corner of Italy. They produce wines of purity and elegance, with much softer tannins than the nebbiolos of Langhe. Like all traditionally-made nebbiolo, delicate aromas and light colour are but appearance. These are wines of great complexity, depth and density.

Leading the way are three crus: Osso San Grato, San Francesco and Castelle. While they drink well immediately, their ability to age should not be discounted. The Coste della Sesia is a superb introduction to Antonolio’s wines while the Gattinara, which is available as a speciality product at the SAQ, shows the same trademark finesse and power as the crus.

Garnering praise by specialized wine media over the years is nothing new for Antoniolo. In 2010, their 2005 Osso San Grato was proclaimed “red wine of the year” by Italy’s prestigious Gambero Rosso.