TERROIR PROFILE
Alta Langa
High-altitude sparkling zone
Alta Langa: cool heights, classic method — Piedmont does sparkling too.
Climate, site & wine
Marl and limestone with sandy components form the soils. Combined with the cool high-altitude sites, they yield grapes with fresh acidity and delicate aromatics.
Alta Langa DOCG (DOC since 2002, DOCG since 2011) is made from at least 90 percent Pinot Nero and Chardonnay by the classic bottle-fermentation method, with at least 30 months on the lees, 36 months for Riserva. The wines are taut, pale and fresh, with apple, citrus, brioche and fine minerality.
TERROIR PROFILE · Piedmont
Alta Langa High-altitude sparkling zone
Alta Langa: cool heights, classic method — Piedmont does sparkling too.
SOILS
Marlbalanced, structured
Marl is a mix of limestone and clay — yields structured, balanced wines with acidity backbone.
Sandstonewarm, dry, spicy
Sandstone warms quickly and yields ripe, fragrant wines with yellow fruit and fine spice.
Limestoneprecise, mineral
Limestone delivers tension, structure and a cooler, more mineral character.
CLIMATE · Alpine
Cool hill climate in the highest sites of the Langhe system. Nights are markedly cooler, ripening is slow, and autumn often brings fog. Grapes reach moderate sugar levels with high acidity, ideal for classic-method sparkling wine.
TOPOGRAPHY · steep
Hill sites in the provinces of Cuneo, Asti and Alessandria in which the vines must stand at a minimum altitude of 250 metres above sea level. Vineyards are spread over many small plots in a strongly dissected relief.
WHAT IT MEANS IN THE GLASS
Similar terroirs worldwide
Computed from fingerprint similarity
Obermosel
Mosel
96% similar
- Warmth (slightly): Alta Langa is warmer → riper fruit, more alcohol, softer acidity (4 vs. 3).
Unterer Mittelrhein & Siebengebirge
Mittelrhein
94% similar
- Dryness (slightly): Alta Langa is wetter → juicier, softer, more plushness (4 vs. 5).
- Freshness (slightly): Alta Langa has more freshness → crisp acidity, long ageing (9 vs. 8).
Wineries on this terroir
See all 6 →This terroir's soils in the glossary