TERROIR PROFILE
Gattinara
Volcanic alpine Nebbiolo
Gattinara: Nebbiolo on volcano — cooler, more mineral, more alpine than Barolo.
Climate, site & wine
Volcanic porphyry, iron-rich and acidic, shapes the soils and gives Nebbiolo tension and a mineral pull. The cool, rainy Alpine foothills slow ripening and retain acidity.
The wines are paler and more acid-driven than Barolo, with red fruit, violet, tar, smoke and mineral firmness; they need bottle age. The style is taut and marked by tannin and acidity, with distinctly less fullness than Barolo.
TERROIR PROFILE · Piedmont
Gattinara Volcanic alpine Nebbiolo
Gattinara: Nebbiolo on volcano — cooler, more mineral, more alpine than Barolo.
SOILS
Volcanic rocksmoky, mineral, powerful
Volcanic soils yield smoky, often iodine-mineral wines with dense structure.
CLIMATE · Alpine
Alpine foothill climate in Alto Piemonte, at the foot of Monte Rosa. Cooler and markedly wetter than the Langhe, with large day-night swings. Nebbiolo (here called Spanna) ripens late, harvest often not until October, and acidity stays high.
TOPOGRAPHY · moderate
Hill zone on the western bank of the Sesia, on the site of the ancient Sesia supervolcano, with vineyards between about 250 and 550 metres, mostly at 270 to 400 metres. The best vineyards lie on steep slopes facing south and southwest above the river.
WHAT IT MEANS IN THE GLASS
Similar terroirs worldwide
Computed from fingerprint similarity
Alto Piemonte (Boca, Bramaterra, Lessona)
Piedmont
96% similar
- Minerality (slightly): Gattinara is more mineral → salty-stony notes, more tension (8 vs. 7).
Ghemme
Piedmont
93% similar
- Dryness (slightly): Gattinara is wetter → juicier, softer, more plushness (3 vs. 4).
- Minerality (slightly): Gattinara is more mineral → salty-stony notes, more tension (8 vs. 7).
Wineries on this terroir
See all 6 →This terroir's soils in the glossary