BORGOGNO RIVATA’S VINEYARDS (6 HECTARES) ARE SPREAD BETWEEN THE LANGHE (LA MORRA) AND ROERO (GUARENE). SAMUELE, ALBERTO, MASSIMO AND GIOVANNI MANAGE A SMALL OPERATION THAT DELIVERS A FANTASTIC BAROLO, ALONGSIDE A LANGHE NEBBIOLO, A BARBERA D’ALBA, A LANGHE ROSSO (PELAVERGA), AND A WHITE (ARNEIS). GIOVANNI (29 YEARS OLD) IS THE STAR OF THE CELLAR, AFTER WORKING FOR OTHER RESPECTED WINERIES IN THE AREA, HE JOINED BORGOGNO RIVATA IN 2018 AND GAVE THE WINERY A NEW DIRECTION IN EVERY ASPECT: FARMING, WINEMAKING AND STYLE. THEY STOPPED USING CHEMICALS (THE USE WAS ALREADY MINIMAL) IN FAVOR OF JUST COPPER AND SULFUR, THE WINES BECAME MORE DARING, AND THE LABELS CHANGED. GIOVANNI’S VISION FOR THE WINES IS INSPIRATIONAL. HIS IDEA IS TO REMAIN IN THE BAROLO DOCG (AND THE OTHER APPELLATIONS) AND TO MAKE THEM EVOLVE FROM THE INSIDE. IT WOULD BE TOO EASY, HE THINKS, TO MAKE A DECLASSIFIED WINE AND DO WHATEVER HE WANTS. BEING IN THE CELLAR (TEMPERATURE CONTROLLED) WITH HIM, ONE WITNESSES THE CONTINUOUS EXPERIMENTATION THAT HE IS EXERCISING ON HIS WINES—BUT MIND YOU, HE DOES NO ANALYSES, AND RATHER CONSTANTLY TASTES THE WINES AND ACCOMPANIES THEM UNTIL BOTTLING TO ACHIEVE A STELLAR PRODUCT. CURRENTLY, GIOVANNI IS EXPERIMENTING WITH DIFFERENT BURGUNDIAN BARRIQUES THAT HE FINDS ARE MUCH BETTER THAN WHAT HE USED BEFORE. BORGOGNO RIVATA ALSO RUNS A NEGOCIANT PROJECT CALLED LOTTI SPARSI THAT AIMS TO TELL STORIES ABOUT GRAPES AND WINES THAT ARE BEING LOST. RIGHT NOW, THE LOTTI SPARSI WINE IS A DOLCETTO FROM A ‘PIE’ FRANCO’ VINEYARD OF AN OLD MAN WHO IS NO LONGER ABLE TO FARM HIS VINE.