460 Casina Bric

On a spring day, just after Vinitaly, we packed our cars and the whole Enotria team went on the road to Barolo. Tired after the fair and its hectic schedule, we were in search of beauty to restore the soul and the slow pace of life to breathe with nature again. A glistening windblown dandelion carpet welcomed us to Bricco delle Viole vineyard.

Here, a shaded table underneath a persimmon tree was the perfect shelter to let the tasting begin.

Gianluca Viberti, 460 Casina Bric owner and winemaker, is the man behind this exciting, valiant project and he proudly greets us with a glass of Nebbiolo d’Alba Spumante brut rosé, one of the few Italian examples of a sparkling wine certified DOC, made solely with Nebbiolo grapes. Its color is pure joy, delicate pink like a rose or blush, with a lingering effervescence and a floral nose that made us go to heaven. Fresh and soft on the palate, it is what you would dream of to celebrate the everyday magic. Gianluca, barefoot, walks up and down the vines and shares his story with us.

Casina Bric is the expression of Barolo where nature and man, style and energy, perfectly meld together to tell a very genuine story at its highest altitude and quality.  The winery gets its name from the Piedmontese hilltop farm that dominates the picturesque Barolo at 460 meters above sea level. Here, Gianluca, after more than twenty years of tending the family vineyards, in 2010, found the courage and strength to create an independent project, following ideals and values which had taken root over many vintages and years of hard work. His personality is embodied in his wines: he measures himself against the vineyard and its host environment.

A sportsman who loves the silence of the mountains and of the nature that treats us to its unique embrace; nature as a friend, as a mother, who protects you and gives you the strength to follow your dreams.

Sunset over the Langhe arrived, and we went into the winery, where we continued the tasting of the red, Ansi (a Nebbiolo/Barbera blend), Barolo Casina Bric and Barolo Bricco delle Viole. The common thread are drinkability and recognizability, both of the wine style and the bottle shape, which is called ‘Poirinotta' and in the 17th century was the original container of the wines of the area.  Packaging is never banal, extremely consistent, elegant, stylish and everything has been carefully studied to impress naturally.

As Gianluca says: ‘No one needs copies. Just original wines made of craftsmanship, personality, respect for the terroir and the native varietals they represent. The hills of the Langhe - today part of UNESCO’s world heritage - have all these ingredients.’  In this magical spectacle of nature, and in the even more limited area of production of Barolo, Nebbiolo from 460 Casina Bric acts as a constant, and its transformation creates unique wines.