The origins of Gianni Gagliardo date back to 1847, when the Colla
family first began working vineyards in the Langhe zone of
Piedmont. It was Paolo Colla, the fourth generation of the family
who, in the 1960s, began bottling his own wine in the township of La
Morra. In 1973 his daughter, Marivanna, married Gianni Gagliardo, a
young man from Monticello d'Alba in the Roero zone on the west
bank of the Tanaro river. Gianni was a passionate young man with a
notable entrepreneurial talent. It was in 1973 that the winery, as it
exists today, was established.
Today, the sixth generation of the family; Gianni's sons, Stefano,
Alberto, and Paolo, are the guardians of the estate. Stefano, the firstborn, a careful and competent oenologist, has taken charge of the
style of the wines, which are characterized by a tireless search for
elegance, balance, and harmony. At his side, his brother Alberto,
who has taken on the responsibility for the vineyards, continues to
seek optimal balance in the vines and a perfect ripening of the
grapes. Paolo, the youngest, after a doctoral thesis in Agricultural
Sciences, dedicates his energies to the commercial growth and
development of Gianni Gagliardo.
Over the years, Gagliardo has gradually purchased land in many of
the best vineyards in the townships of La Morra, Barolo, Serralunga,
and Monforte d'Alba, the very heart of the Barolo appellation, and in
Monticello d'Alba in the Roero district. The goal is to coax the very
finest expression of the Nebbiolo grape, allowing each parcel's
particular characteristics to shine.
Today the proprietary Nebbiolo vineyards consist of eleven parcels
between the Langhe and Roero areas, situated on the two different
banks of the Tanaro river. The special character of the terroir is the
dominating factor behind the excellence of the Gagliardo wines,
particularly the various Barolo offerings. This wide geographical
range gives these wines their unique and exceptional personality,
which gather and bring out the finest qualities of the Langhe and
Roero zones.
The management of the vineyards is based on balance and on the
maximum respect of the vines and the soil. In order to best protect
the richness and the delicacy of what Mother Nature produces in the
vineyard, no selected yeasts are added during fermentation. The
wines are not filtered, but rather rendered more brilliant and
naturally stabilized by winter cold.