Grower Website Rizzi Region: italy - piedmont

Ernesto Dellapiana is known to say: “I have a crazy love for the earth.”

Born in Alba, Italy in 1940 his passion for the land of the Langhe and winemaking drove him to reclaim a historic lost family property. The starting point for Rizzi begins in 1973 with the acquisition of the Rizzi farmhouse and its vineyards on the two sides of the hill (Cru Rizzi) and Cru Nervo, a 4-hectare (9.88 acres) plot under the village of Treiso. The Rizzi Winery continued to expand with the addition of the Boito farmhouse and the adjacent Vigna Boito, still inside the Cru Rizzi, in 1984. The Manzola farmhouse and its vineyards were purchased in 1997.
Between 2004 and 2018 the family purchased 3 hectares (7.41 acres) of vineyards in the Cru Pajorè, 5 hectares (12.35 acres) of Podere Stella at Neviglie and 1.5 hectares (3.70 acres) in the Cru Giacone and 3 hectares (7.41 acres) of the Cru Bricco di Neive.

In 2004, after graduating from the University of Turn with a degree in Viticulture and Oenology, Enrico Dellapiana followed his older sister Jole to Rizzi.  A passionate winemaker and a talented painter, Enrico strives to make wines that are “alive”; clean, pure and elegant. Enrico designs the Barbaresco Rizzi Riserva Boito labels for each vintage and hand paints each individual label for the limited magnum production of this special wine. His creative passions shine through in both his winemaking and artistic sensibilities.

Treiso is located almost directly south of the classic town of Barbaresco. The gentle rolling hills steeped in Piedmont history. The Rizzi estate is comprised of 40 total hectares (98.84 acres) located primarily in this famous Trieso zone. Elevation ranges between 200m and 430m (656ft and 1410.76ft), with 20 hectares (49.42 acres) of Nebbiolo planted. The vines produce elegant and sophisticated wines from the vineyard crus Rizzi (from which a Riserva Vigna Boito is also born), Pajoré, Nervo, Manzola, Giacone, and Bricco di Neive. An additional 20 hectares (49.42 acres) of the estate produce Langhe Nebbiolo, Dolceto D’Alba, Barbera D’Alba and Moscato D’Asti from vineyards in the nearby zone of Neviglie.

It is impossible to visit this very special zone of Barbaresco without traversing the impressive, steep, vine-clad hills of Treiso and partaking in the warm hospitality of their peoples. Their protection of this idyllic environment and the validation of the region and its estates are essential guidelines for the continued growth and work of the Rizzi winery and the Dellapiana family.

VINEYARDS

The township of Treiso sits at 410 meters above sea level. Over 40% of Rizzi’s total vineyard acreage is planted to Nebbiolo. This zone, particularly that known as the Southern Sector, boasts a cooler climate and steeper vineyards than many of the Barbaresco appellation’s towns and is home to the historic vineyard crus of Rizzi, Nervo and Pajoré.  Within the cru Rizzi rests the important Vigna Boito, one of only three officially named vineyards in this township.  Steep, terraced vineyards, primarily south and southwest facing, are comprised of the white, sandy soils typical of this zone; one exception is the hilltop Vigna Boito which showcases more clay soils reminiscent of the Barbaresco zone.  The estate’s current vineyard practices include the use of cover crop following objectives outlined by “The Green Experience” designed to guide sustainability and to help produce wines respectful to the traditions of the zone.

WINERY

Reacquired by the family and rebuilt in 1973 with enlarged storerooms, aging and processing facilities. Ernesto Dellapiana, considered an innovator in the viticulture field, was amongst the first in the Langhe in 2006 to install a photovoltaic system on the roofs of the farm for the production of electricity to power the estate.  The estate went through another modernization in 2014 with the construction of storage facilities and the addition of cement storage tanks, the preferred resting method for the wines and one that Enrico feels compliments their aging in the cellar in 50HL (5000L) Austrian-produced Slavonian oak barrels.