Azienda Agricola E. Pira e Figli

Azienda Agricola E. Pira e Figli - History of the Piras and the Boschis

The Pira family was an old winemaking family that was already mentioned in church records in the 17th century and became winegrowers in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Gigi Pira, a representative of the old school of winemaking, created his wines by blending grapes from his own plots in Cannubi, San Lorenzo and Via Nuova. He claimed that just as cows must graze on the best pastures in order to produce excellent milk, only the best vineyards should be selected for wine. But Pira’s attachment to tradition did not end there: he was the last remaining winemaker to carry out the pressing of the grapes by foot.

Since 1980, the craft has been continued by Chiara Boschis and her parents Franco and Ida. The Boschis are connected to the Pira family by friendship and mutual esteem and are themselves a family of Barolo producers since the 18th century, already in the 9th generation. After graduating from university, Chiara began to pursue her passion for wine and its world as a full-time profession and became one of the first women to produce Barolo at the end of the 1980s. Since 2010, the winery has been run by Chiara together with her brother Giorgio, who shares her great passion for work in the vineyard and in the cellar and likewise has over thirty years of experience. Since 2010, the winery has been run by Chiara together with her brother Giorgio, who shares her great passion for work in the vineyard and in the cellar and likewise has over thirty years of experience. Since 2010, the winery has been run by Chiara together with her brother Giorgio, who shares her great passion for work in the vineyard and in the cellar and likewise has over thirty years of experience.

Azienda Agricola E. Pira e Figli in the Barolo region

The E. Pira e Figli estate is located in the municipality of Barolo and the winery overlooks the square where Via Monforte and Via Vittorio Veneto (the so-called Via Nuova) intersect. From here, with a view of the hills, one can imagine how much work is needed to tend such steep terrain like a well-kept garden and to obtain from its generosity grapes of incomparable quality. The grapes for the wine come exclusively from the estate’s own vineyards, almost all of which are owned by the Boschis family. They extend over approx. 11 hectares, located in the best areas for the production of Barolo wine:

• 2 hectares in the municipality of Barolo in Cannubi, Liste and Terlo
• 8 hectares in the municipality of Monforte d'Alba, in Conterni, Mosconi, Ravera and Le Coste
• 1 hectare in the municipality of Serralunga d'Alba, in Gabutti and Baudana

The Barolo area is located in Piedmont and has soils of limestone, clay and marl with sandstone components. The Po plain and the Maritime Alps act as climatic regulators that protect the area from the most extreme climatic fluctuations.

Viticulture philosophy at E. Pira e Figli

In production, a balance between innovation and tradition has been sought, with the aim of giving a traditionally structured and austere wine elegance and balance. For Cannubi and Mosconi, it was decided to vinify the grapes from the individual vineyards separately in order to emphasize and highlight their specific organoleptic characteristics. As a tribute to tradition, the Barolo “Via Nuova” is made from a blend of grapes from 6 vineyards: 2 in the municipality of Barolo, 2 in the municipality of Monforte and 2 in the municipality of Serralunga.

Work on the vines, strictly manual, is carried out with the utmost care and respect for the environment and follows the philosophy of organic cultivation, for which the company has been certified since the 2014 harvest. Production is limited to approx. 40,000 bottles per year.

Work in the winery of Azienda Agricola E. Pira e Figli

After the harvest, the grapes are brought to the fermentation house, destemmed and put into the tanks. Azienda Agricola E. Pira e Figli relies on the so-called “stormy fermentation,” which is characterized by higher temperatures, in this case around 28°C. During fermentation, the wine is pumped over daily, and parts of the pomace are repeatedly lightly pressed.

The Barolo then matures in 225-liter barrels of French oak. Additionally, 2,000- and 2,500-liter casks are used. The maturation lasts 2 years. Langhe Nebbiolo and Barbera, on the other hand, need only 12 months to reach their maturity for bottling. Second-passage barrels are also used for these two wines. Dolcetto, in turn, is matured in stainless steel tanks. The Boschis do not fine or filter their wines, with the exception of Dolcetto, which, due to its young age, cannot clarify naturally. The Barolo then remains in the bottle for another year before it is released for sale. For Barbera, Nebbiolo and Dolcetto it is 2–3 months.