Considered a must in Italy’s Piedmont region, Roberto Voerzio has built his solid reputation in a relatively short period of time. The property’s use of small French barrels, early harvests, a double annual green harvest (to restrict yields) and the superb concentration of its wines have largely modernised the image of this region.
Wishing to pave his own way in the winemaking world, Roberto Voerzio parted ways with his brother Gianni to establish his own winery in Morra in 1986, in the centre of Langhe. He started with just two hectares, expanding bit by bit to today’s 52 hectares. Vinifying in the best terroirs in the area, his estate has become one of the go-to producers in this appellation over the last thirty years.
Today, Roberto Voerzio works hand in hand with his son, Davide. They have the shared objective of making their land the best it can possibly be. They do not use fungicides, chemical fertilisers, herbicides, or any other synthetic molecules; but they are not interested in seeking organic certification. In order to draw the best from the prestigious Barolo terroir, the planting density is very high (from 8,000 to 11,000 vines/hectare), favouring healthy competition between the vines. The teams practice a double green harvest (one at the beginning of July and the other in mid-August), in order to obtain a maximum of 1 kg of grapes per vine… or even 500 gr of grapes for the Barolo and Barbera Riserva vintages.
Believing that modifying the wines in the cellar would make them more uniform, the Voerzio’s try to avoid intervening during the vinification process. Fermentations are started by indigenous yeasts, in stainless steel tanks and in a parcel-by-parcel manner. The Barolos are aged for a long time in French oak barrels (maximum 30% new wood), for 22 to 27 months. The Nebbiolos are aged in large tuns. Only the Dolcetto is aged in vats. The wines are neither fined nor filtered before bottling.
The Barolos of this estate are particularly renowned for their finesse yet also their richness, concentration, and precision – all that is quintessentially Barolo. They are generally made to be aged for a long time and promise great things when the occasion arises to uncork.
