NERVI-CONTERNO

Nervi is a historic, benchmark Gattinara producer with some of the most prized vineyard holdings in the appellation. It is the oldest winery in the region, founded in 1906 by Italo Nervi, with many of the vineyards having been in the family since 1679.

The estate comprises 28.5 hectares of vineyards, including the top crus of Molsino, Valferana, Garavoglie, and Casacce. These are historic crus in Gattinara—mention of Molsino in town records dates back to 1471, and those of Valferana date back to 1231.

The Nervi family built up the estate’s reputation, running it continually until 1991. In 2018, the previous owners decided to sell the winery. Wanting to see it fall into good hands, they felt it was best to offer it first to Roberto Conterno, who was already a consultant.

While Conterno had not been actively seeking out a new winery, the opportunity to acquire such a historic estate with extraordinary Nebbiolo holdings was difficult to pass up. Conterno and his sons aim to apply the same meticulous attention to detail and quality to Nervi’s wines as to those of the Giacomo Conterno estate.

The soil in Gattinara is mainly composed of volcanic gravel—remnants of an extinct supervolcano that collapsed 280 million years ago. The gravel is rich in iron, zinc, magnesium, and manganese minerals and clay. This volcanic soil imbues a distinct minerality that differentiates it from the neighbouring Ghemme, Lessona, and Bramaterra appellations.

The winery focuses on three Gattinara bottlings – Gattinara, Gattinara Molsino and Gattinara Valferana. The single-vineyard bottlings contain the best fruit from those vineyards. In contrast, the third bottling contains the best fruit from Garavoglie and Casacce and some wine declassified from Molsino and Valferana.

The Gattinara spends at least three years in large oak, whereas both crus see at least four years in large oak.  In addition to the three Gattinara, a delicious Rosato is made from Nebbiolo and has a touch of Uva Rara.