Castello di Verduno

Castello di Verduno - royal wines from Piedmont

Castello di Verduno is located in Verduno in Piedmont. The winery is housed in an old castle and run by the Bianco family. The oldest buildings on the estate date back to 1500. The actual castle was built around 1700 and was a family seat of the House of Savoy, an Italian noble dynasty. For a short time, the Italian King Carlo Alberto even resided here.

In 1909, the Burlotto family acquired the estate. By then, they had already been producing wine for 100 years. The three sons of the then head of the family each ultimately inherited part of the family vineyards, from which three different wineries emerged::

• GB Burlotto
• Cascina Massara
• Castello di Verduno

In addition to Castello di Verduno, the other two wineries still exist today and are still producing. Today, the castle estate is run by Gabriella Burlotto, her husband Franco Bianco and their daughter Marcella. Through Franco’s family, additional vineyards in the famous Barbaresco region were added. The family is supported by winemaker Mario Andrion, who has been managing the cellar since 2000.

Castello di Verduno - Barbaresco and Verduno united

The winery now has 10 hectares of vineyards, half of them at the family seat in Verduno, the other half in Barbaresco. Accordingly, wines with different appellations are produced.

The special jewel of the estate is two plots with 1.23 hectares in the top site Rabaja, one of the noblest Barbaresco vineyards. The soil of this vineyard has its own designation - Marne di Sant’Agata - and consists of 55% clay, 30% sand and 15% limestone. The vines date from 1974 and 1990. In the Barbaresco vineyards, the grape varieties Nebbiolo, Dolcetto and Barbera are planted.

The vineyards in Verduno, on the other hand, are dedicated, in addition to Nebbiolo, to the autochthonous grape variety Pelaverga piccolo. It is a typical Piedmontese variety that is used in the local appellation wine Verduno Pelaverga. Although it is similar to the variety Pelaverga grosso, it is a different variety. In the 1970s, only a few vineyards with this variety still existed, but since then it has been rediscovered and replanted by some winemakers.

The wines of Castello di Verduno

The estate’s grapes are vinified partly in a traditional manner, partly into surprising products. The grapes from Barbaresco practically cry out for classic vinification, and so Barbaresco and Barolo are produced in large Slavonian oak casks. These can be found in various versions in Castello di Verduno’s portfolio, starting with the “simple” Barbaresco up to wine from selected grapes from the top site Rabaja. Single-varietal wines are also produced from the individual grape varieties, which are mainly aged in stainless steel tanks. From the native grape Pelaverga piccolo, the local Verduno DOC is of course produced, but there is also a sparkling wine from this grape, originally intended for the estate’s gastronomy. In addition, a white wine is produced from this otherwise red grape.