Italy · Monferrato & Asti

La Spinetta

La Spinetta is a Piedmont family estate that in 1977 produced the first single-vineyard Moscato d'Asti in Italy, and has since built one of the most awarded portfolios in the region across Moscato, Barbera, Barbaresco, and Barolo.

The producer

La Spinetta takes its name from the Piedmontese dialect word for the hilltop where the Rivetti family planted their first vines at Castagnole delle Lanze in 1977. Giuseppe 'Pin' Rivetti founded the estate and made a decision that year that separated it from every other Moscato producer in Italy: he chose a single parcel, named it Bricco Quaglia, fermented it separately over three months in temperature-controlled vats, and put the vineyard name on the bottle. The Moscato d'Asti appellation had no tradition of single-vineyard bottling. That first vintage started one.

Giorgio Rivetti, Giuseppe's son and grandson of Giovanni Rivetti who began the family's wine connection in the 1890s, extended the single-vineyard principle across Barbera, Barbaresco, and Barolo. Named crus from Neive and La Morra now anchor the Nebbiolo range. In 2001 the family acquired 65 hectares between Pisa and Volterra for Sangiovese under the Casanova della Spinetta label. In 2011, Giorgio and his son Andrea purchased the Contratto estate, founded in 1867, adding metodo classico sparkling wine to a portfolio built entirely on still wines. Giorgio has received Gambero Rosso's Tre Bicchieri award for more than 30 different wines across his career, one of the most sustained records for any Italian producer.

Known for

Single-vineyard Nebbiolo from Barbaresco and Barolo, and the pioneering Moscato d'Asti Bricco Quaglia

Notable facts

The story

The vineyard that started it

In 1977, when Giuseppe 'Pin' Rivetti bottled the first vintage of Moscato d'Asti from the Bricco Quaglia vineyard on the family's hilltop estate at Castagnole delle Lanze, the appellation had never been released as a named single vineyard. Moscato d'Asti was sold generically, often in bulk, with no vineyard name on the label. Rivetti chose a parcel, named it, fermented the wine slowly in temperature-controlled vats over three months, and put Bricco Quaglia on the bottle. Other producers followed, and the single-vineyard Moscato category grew from that first bottling. Nearly fifty years later, La Spinetta still uses the same three-month fermentation method for Bricco Quaglia, and the vineyard name remains on every label.

The vineyard that started it

In 1977, when Giuseppe 'Pin' Rivetti bottled the first vintage of Moscato d'Asti from the Bricco Quaglia vineyard on the family's hilltop estate at Castagnole delle Lanze, the appellation had never been released as a named single vineyard. Moscato d'Asti was sold generically, often in bulk, with no vineyard name on the label. Rivetti chose a parcel, named it, fermented the wine slowly in temperature-controlled vats over three months, and put Bricco Quaglia on the bottle. Other producers followed, and the single-vineyard Moscato category grew from that first bottling. Nearly fifty years later, La Spinetta still uses the same three-month fermentation method for Bricco Quaglia, and the vineyard name remains on every label.

From the atlas

La Spinetta

At A Glance

The Producer

La Spinetta takes its name from the Piedmontese dialect word for the hilltop where the Rivetti family planted their first vines. Giuseppe 'Pin' Rivetti founded the estate at Castagnole delle Lanze in 1977, in the Asti zone of southern Piedmont. His son Giorgio, one of three brothers and grandson of Giovanni Rivetti who began the family's connection to wine in the 1890s, now leads the estate as owner and winemaker.

Giorgio Rivetti has accumulated more than 30 Gambero Rosso Tre Bicchieri awards across different bottles, one of the most sustained records of any Italian producer across a single career. The range covers four Piedmontese appellations, a separate 65-hectare Tuscan estate producing Sangiovese under the Casanova della Spinetta label, and since 2011, the historic Contratto house founded in 1867, which Giorgio and his son Andrea now lead into metodo classico sparkling wine and spirits. The through-line is single-vineyard discipline: La Spinetta built its reputation parcel by parcel, from the Bricco Quaglia Moscato to the Nebbiolo crus of Neive and La Morra.

Place

The Piedmont heartland of La Spinetta divides into two geographic zones. The Asti zone, centred on Castagnole delle Lanze, is the home of Moscato d'Asti and Barbera d'Asti. The soils here are sandy and calcareous, giving Moscato Bianco the aromatic lift and clean finish that defines the appellation. Barbera from this zone, grown at altitude on parcels with low natural yields, produces wines with more acidity balance and softer tannin than flatland plantings.

The Barbaresco and Barolo crus sit further north and west, in the Langhe hills of the Cuneo province. Neive, one of the three communes of the Barbaresco DOCG, supplies the Bordini vineyard. The combination of calcareous marl and sand there shapes Nebbiolo differently from pure clay soils: the marl gives mineral grip and firm tannin frame, while the sand softens how those tannins land. Barolo comes from La Morra, a commune on the western edge of the Barolo DOCG, where soils lean toward Tortonian sediment and Nebbiolo tends toward earlier fragrance and a longer, more open mid-palate than the Serralunga side.

The Tuscan estate between Pisa and Volterra is a separate address. The Casanova della Spinetta label covers Sangiovese wines from this terrain, which sits in the coastal hills south of Pisa, removed from both Chianti Classico and Montalcino.

Soil And Site

The Bricco Quaglia vineyard at Castagnole delle Lanze sits on sandy, calcareous soils typical of the Canelli sub-zone of Asti. This sandy base limits vine vigour and keeps aromatic compounds concentrated in the Moscato Bianco grape.

The Bordini vineyard in Neive combines calcareous marl with sandy deposits. Calcareous marl is the dominant soil type through the best Barbaresco crus, holding water during dry summers and releasing it slowly, which keeps Nebbiolo vines productive without excessive stress. The sandy fraction in Bordini reduces the tannin density that pure marl can produce, giving a more open tannin texture than nearby Treiso or Pajè parcels. The vines in Bordini average 40 years old.

Ca di Pian, the Barbera d'Asti parcel, draws from three Asti communes with vine age averaging 45 years. Low yields from old vines concentrate fruit and moderate the natural high acidity of Barbera, producing a denser mid-palate than younger plantings.

Story

Giuseppe Rivetti's decision in 1977 was not to make another bulk Moscato. He chose a single parcel, named it, fermented it separately, and put the vineyard name on the label at a moment when the Moscato d'Asti appellation had no tradition of single-vineyard bottling. The move was commercial in its instinct but had consequences far beyond marketing: it established a quality argument for Moscato d'Asti as a serious category with place-specific character.

Giorgio Rivetti extended that single-vineyard logic to Nebbiolo. Over the 1980s and 1990s, La Spinetta built out Barbaresco from named crus including Bordini in Neive, Gallina, and Starderi, and added single-vineyard Barolo from Campe and Garretti in La Morra. Each addition followed the same premise: isolate a parcel, vinify it separately, and let the site appear on the label.

In 2001, Giorgio took the family outside Piedmont for the first time, buying 65 hectares between Pisa and Volterra to grow Sangiovese. The move was a geographic bet on a part of Tuscany not yet associated with fine wine at that scale. Ten years later, in 2011, he and his son Andrea purchased the Contratto estate, a house founded in 1867 with Victorian-era cellars and an established metodo classico tradition. Adding Contratto brought sparkling wine into a portfolio that had always been still, and brought a second generation into the family's ownership decisions.

Vineyards And Cellar

The Bricco Quaglia Moscato ferments slowly in temperature-controlled vats over approximately three months. This extended, low-temperature fermentation captures aromatic compounds that a faster ferment at higher temperatures would drive off, giving the wine its layered peach, sage, and honey character alongside a clean, fresh finish. The wine is low in alcohol and lightly sparkling, typical of the Moscato d'Asti appellation, and is not aged in wood.

Barbaresco Bordini ages for a minimum of nine months before release. The wine spends time in oak, consistent with DOCG requirements for Barbaresco, though La Spinetta's cellar approach emphasises preserving the mineral character of calcareous marl sites. The 40-year-old vines in Bordini give concentrated fruit that can carry oak without losing the vineyard's signature grip.

Ca di Pian Barbera d'Asti benefits from the 45-year-old vine average across its three source communes. Low vine yields produce dense fruit, and the long hang time in Asti's continental climate builds acidity that keeps the wine from reading as heavy despite its concentration.

Wines

The La Spinetta range is built around the single-vineyard idea applied at every price point.

Moscato d'Asti Bricco Quaglia is 100% Moscato Bianco. It is lightly sparkling, low in alcohol (around 5.5%), and shows peach, sage, and delicate honey on the nose. The palate moves through fresh fruit and fine herbs to a clean, mineral finish. This is not a simple sweet wine: the finish is precise, and the aromatic complexity owes as much to fermentation discipline as to the grape.

Barbera d'Asti Ca di Pian is 100% Barbera from old-vine parcels across three Asti communes. Deep-coloured with naturally high acidity, it shows dark cherry fruit and a silky mid-palate that comes from vine age and controlled yields rather than heavy extraction. The acidity is the defining feature: it keeps the wine alive on the palate and gives it enough grip to work alongside food.

Barbaresco Bordini is 100% Nebbiolo from the named Bordini cru in Neive. The wine shows the firm tannin frame of calcareous marl alongside red cherry and floral notes typical of Neive Nebbiolo. Nine months of ageing before release gives tannin presence without burying the vineyard character. Alongside Bordini, La Spinetta produces Barbaresco from Gallina and Starderi, each with distinct soil and aspect.

Barolo Campe and Barolo Garretti are both 100% Nebbiolo from La Morra. The La Morra terroir gives earlier aromatic development than Serralunga-side Barolo: more violet and dried rose on the nose, a rounder mid-palate, and tannins that are firm but less granular than those from Tortonian-heavy MGA sites.

Casanova della Spinetta covers three Sangiovese wines from the Tuscan estate between Pisa and Volterra, plus a Vermentino and a rosé.

In The Glass

The Moscato Bricco Quaglia opens with immediate fragrance: peach skin, white flower, sage, and a background trace of honey. In the mouth it is light and gently effervescent, with sweetness balanced by acidity and mineral salinity from the sandy calcareous soils. The finish is clean and short, leaving aromatic length rather than sugar weight.

Ca di Pian Barbera rises from the glass with concentrated dark cherry and a hint of plum. The acidity announces itself early on the palate and runs through the finish, keeping the wine alive despite its depth of colour and fruit. The silky texture comes from old vine concentration rather than extraction, and the tannins are low, as is typical for Barbera.

Barbaresco Bordini shows dried rose, red cherry, and an earthy mineral thread on the nose. In the mouth, the calcareous marl tannins grip firmly across the mid-palate, but the sandy fraction in the vineyard gives them a softer edge than the strictest Barbaresco sites. The finish carries mineral chalk and a fading floral note. With age, the fruit recedes and the mineral and dried herb character strengthens.

Barolo from La Morra, in Campe and Garretti, opens with violet and rose petal alongside red cherry. The palate is fuller than Barbaresco but less rigid than Serralunga Barolo, with tannins that are present and firm without the grip of iron-rich soils.

A Bottle To Understand It

Start with Barbaresco Bordini. It is 100% Nebbiolo from the named Bordini vineyard in Neive, made from 40-year-old vines on calcareous marl and sand, and aged for a minimum of nine months before release. The wine gives the full Nebbiolo argument in one glass: the dried rose and red cherry on the nose, the firm tannin frame from marl soils, the mineral chalk on the finish, and the way all of it softens slightly because of the sandy fraction in the vineyard. Bordini is not La Spinetta's most expensive bottle, but it is the one that explains what the producer is doing with Nebbiolo and what single-vineyard discipline in the Langhe can produce. It also ages, so buying a second bottle two or three years after the first shows how the mineral and floral threads develop as the fruit steps back.

Anecdote

In 1977, when Giuseppe 'Pin' Rivetti bottled the first vintage of Moscato d'Asti from the Bricco Quaglia vineyard on the family's hilltop estate at Castagnole delle Lanze, the appellation had never been released as a named single vineyard. Moscato d'Asti was sold generically, often in bulk, with no vineyard name on the label. Rivetti chose a parcel, named it, fermented the wine slowly in temperature-controlled vats over three months, and put Bricco Quaglia on the bottle. Other producers followed, and the single-vineyard Moscato category grew from that first bottling. Nearly fifty years later, La Spinetta still uses the same three-month fermentation method for Bricco Quaglia, and the vineyard name remains on every label.

Final Word

La Spinetta is a Piedmont estate that made one decision in 1977 and spent the next four decades following it. The single-vineyard principle started with an aromatic white and extended across Barbera, Barbaresco, and Barolo. Giorgio Rivetti's Tre Bicchieri count across more than 30 different wines suggests the discipline has held. Tuscany and Contratto broadened the address, but the core of what La Spinetta does is still in the Langhe hills: named parcels, grape-specific farming, and bottles that carry the vineyard character to the glass.

Sources

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