Mazzolino

This fine estate is making some of the best – and most exciting – wines in the Oltrepò Pavese. Its 20 hectares of organically cultivated vineyards are split into 36 different parcels, which vary according to soil (marl of Sant’ Agata, the same as is found in Barbaresco), aspect and elevations of between 300 and 350 metres above sea level. Cold air flows off the Apennines to the south, resulting in cool mornings which in turn help the grapes retain flavour.

The house and winery are perched atop a rounded hill, and the vineyards flow down the hill in every direction. The site, known locally as the ‘hill of Pinot Nero’, was abandoned when Francesca Seralvo’s grandfather arrived from France in the 1970s for work. He was a banker in Milan and bought the house as a weekend retreat. He soon caught the wine bug and invited the likes of Luigi Veronelli and Giacomo Bologna to visit. They became great friends and urged him to make wines with the Pinot Nero. His first attempt was a bianco frizzante, but in 1985 he decided to get serious and made his first Pinot Nero, on which Veronelli lavished praise. If Pinot Nero worked, he reasoned, why not try Chardonnay?

In 1999, he decided to improve on what he was doing, but looked back to France for help. He called Kyriakos Kynigopoulos, who was making a name for himself in Burgundy. Kyriakos continues to provide advice to Francesca, who took over the running of the property from her mother about a decade ago. She has, like her grandfather, focused on continual improvement.

The quality of the fruit and the excellence of the winemaking is evident in the Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Both are unoaked and display a lovely purity of fruit. The Chardonnay is made with 20% of the Musqué clone macerated for 24 hours on skins to lend an aromatic intensity unusual in Chardonnay. The Terrazze is Mazzolino’s ‘village’ Pinot Nero, made with fruit sourced from four of their single vineyards: Fontana, Aurora, Rocca and Corvino Alto. The fruit is de-stemmed before being fermented and aged in traditional vats. Francesca describes this as ‘the whole hill in a bottle’. It has lovely perfume and ripe yet present tannins to corset the fruit.