The Brezza estate, which includes part of the renowned Cannubi vineyard and other fine sites around the village of Barolo, has been bottling since 1910. Now run by Enzo Brezza and his cousin Francesco, the fourth and fifth generations of the family to make wine here, Brezza’s wines are icons of traditional winemaking: organic grape growing, long macerations, and aging in large barrels. This transparent style, applied consistently and cleanly across the different bottlings, allows the differences of the site to become clear, with no new oak aromas or rusticity getting in the way.

The Sarmassa vineyard has more clay in the soil than Cannubi, and less sand. ‘This cru sits on the opposite side of the main Barolo ridge from Cannubi, and yet it has a distinct microclimate…it is the first area where snow melts in the winter. Altitudes range from 250 to 300 meters (820 to 980 feet), and plant ages range between twelve and seventy years old.’

The wines grown here are more structured than those from Cannubi; the vineyard is not as well known as Cannubi, but I think Brezza’s Sarmassa is outstanding.