Italy · Langhe

Monterustico

A Vaira family estate in Farigliano, 16 kilometres south of Barolo, reviving old Dolcetto vineyards on calcareous clay marl and Tanaro alluvial soils. The Dogliani DOCG is organically farmed, long-macerated, and aged in stainless steel.

The producer

In 2015, the Vaira family bought an abandoned estate in Farigliano not because Dolcetto was fashionable but because the old vineyards were disappearing. Hazelnuts had been fetching more per kilogram than Dolcetto grapes in the Dogliani hills, and parcels that had grown the grape for centuries were being grubbed up or left to go wild. The Vairas, already established in the Langhe through Barolo and Nebbiolo at G.D. Vajra, chose to plant a flag in a grape the market had walked away from. The estate's name, Monterustico, points toward Monviso, the peak that stands above the southern Langhe. Its mission, written into the founding documents, is to rediscover and share ancient vineyards and grape varieties, beginning with Dolcetto.

The estate sits in Farigliano, midway between Dogliani and Clavesana, on soils belonging to the Formazioni di Lequio: silty, strongly calcareous clay marl that holds acidity through the growing season and prevents Dolcetto from tipping into flat, heavy fruit. The Tanaro River runs below the lower parcels and moderates ripening pace. Alpine winds lower night temperatures and preserve aromatic freshness. The Dogliani DOCG, whose boundaries cover Farigliano, is the only Langhe appellation built primarily around Dolcetto rather than Nebbiolo. The estate's core wine, the Monterustico Dogliani DOCG, is 100% organically grown Dolcetto, fermented over 18 to 20 days with a partly submerged cap, then aged in stainless steel. The wine is fresh and aromatic, with velvety tannins and a juicy almond-like finish.

Known for

Dogliani DOCG (100% Dolcetto, organic, long maceration, stainless ageing)

Notable facts

The story

The Year Hazelnuts Won

By 2015, Dolcetto had lost the price argument in the Dogliani hills. Hazelnuts fetched more per kilogram than Dolcetto grapes, and the gap had grown wide enough that growers with old vines were making a straightforward calculation: hazelnut trees were more profitable and far less labour-intensive. Vineyards that had grown Dolcetto since the thirteenth century were being converted or left to go wild. The Vaira family, already established in the Langhe through G.D. Vajra's Barolo and Nebbiolo programme, came to Farigliano and looked at an abandoned estate with old Dolcetto vines on calcareous clay marl. They bought it, certified it organic, and committed to the long macerations and stainless ageing that give the Dogliani its depth. The hazelnuts are still growing in the neighbouring fields.

From the atlas

Monterustico

At A Glance

Country: Italy Region: Piemonte Village: Farigliano, southern Langhe Appellation: Dogliani DOCG Primary Grape: Dolcetto Farming: Organic, certified Founded: 2015 (Vaira family acquisition)

The Producer

In 2015, the Vaira family bought an estate in Farigliano not because Dolcetto was fashionable but because the old vineyards were disappearing. By that point, hazelnuts fetched more per kilogram than Dolcetto grapes in the Dogliani hills, and the parcels that had grown the grape for centuries were being abandoned or grubbed up. The Vairas, who had built their Langhe reputation through Barolo and Nebbiolo at G.D. Vajra, chose to plant a flag in a grape the market had effectively walked away from.

The estate sits in Farigliano, a village 16 kilometres south of Barolo, midway between Dogliani and Clavesana. The name they kept for the project, Monterustico, points toward Monviso, the peak that stands above the southern Langhe. The mission they wrote into their founding documents is to rediscover, safeguard, and share ancient vineyards and grape varieties, beginning with Dolcetto.

Place

Farigliano occupies the southern edge of the Langhe, the hilly spine that runs through the heart of Piemonte. The village documented vine growing and winemaking from 1230, when the Marquis Manfredo III of Saluzzo recorded the practice in writing. The Dogliani DOCG, whose boundaries cover Farigliano, is the only appellation built primarily around Dolcetto rather than Nebbiolo. Where most Langhe DOCGs position Dolcetto as an everyday wine below Barolo and Barbaresco, Dogliani gives the grape its own classification with a correspondingly higher minimum ageing requirement.

The Tanaro River runs below the lower parcels. Its proximity moderates Dolcetto's ripening pace and allows the aromatic compounds to develop slowly rather than being driven off by summer heat. Cool Alpine winds move through the valley and compound this effect, lowering night temperatures and preserving freshness in the fruit. The calcareous soils hold acidity through the growing season, which matters for a grape that can tip toward flat, heavy red fruit when grown warm.

Soil And Site

Monterustico divides its parcels into three zones. The mid-elevation sites, which include the named plots Bricco Rosso, Monterustico, Taricchi, and Garbiana, lie at 300 to 350 metres between Dogliani and Farigliano on soils belonging to the Formazioni di Lequio geological formation: silty, strongly calcareous clay marl with high lime content. These soils drain readily, stress the vines moderately through summer, and contribute to the firm acidity that marks the Dogliani in the glass.

The lower slopes overlooking the Tanaro carry alluvial soils with a high proportion of stone, which the estate associates with aromatic lift and minerality. A higher calcareous marl band completes the three zones. The packet does not map parcels to specific wines, so the three zones are best understood as a blended influence on the Dogliani rather than as separate bottlings.

Story

The revival at Monterustico is a decision made against a market trend. Dolcetto had been the everyday grape of the Langhe for centuries, planted below the Nebbiolo on lesser slopes and bottled young for local tables. By the early twenty-first century, international demand for Barolo and Barbaresco had widened the price gap between Nebbiolo and everything else. In the Dogliani hills specifically, hazelnut farming offered a more predictable return than Dolcetto viticulture, and growers began converting.

The Vaira family saw the old vines still standing in Farigliano as an asset worth preserving. They certified the estate organic from the start, committing to farming without synthetic inputs on parcels that had not seen recent investment. They extended maceration times for the Dogliani to 18 to 20 days, partly under a submerged cap, a technique that extracts colour and tannin more gently than aggressive pumping and gives the wine depth and ageing potential. The Piemonte Rosso was the first wine produced at the estate.

Vineyards And Cellar

All Dolcetto at Monterustico is organically grown and certified. The three-zone vineyard splits the estate between calcareous hilltop marl, mid-slope clay marl, and lower alluvial parcels, and the blended Dogliani draws from across Farigliano and the broader Dogliani commune.

In the cellar, the Dogliani undergoes 18 to 20 days of maceration, partly with a submerged cap rather than a floating cap. Submerged cap fermentation keeps the grape skins in constant contact with the fermenting juice without the aggressive pumping or punching that can break seeds and drive harsh tannin into the wine. Long maceration draws out colour and extract steadily over a longer period. After fermentation, the wine ages in stainless steel, which preserves fruit character and acidity without adding oak influence. Dolcetto does not gain from barrel ageing in the way Nebbiolo does, and the stainless vessel keeps the grape's native floral and dark fruit character intact.

The Langhe Bianco is drawn from old and untamed vineyards in Dogliani, described as a blend of native Piemonte grape varieties. Specific varieties are not published.

Wines

The range has three wines. The Dogliani DOCG is the estate's core bottle: 100% Dolcetto, organically grown across Farigliano and Dogliani, with the long maceration and stainless ageing that define the house approach. It carries dark cherry and dried violet on the nose, with a palate of firm but supple tannin, lively acidity, and a clean, slightly bitter finish typical of the grape at its best. The tannin is velvety, with depth and ageing potential.

The Piemonte Rosso was the first wine produced at the estate. Its exact blend is not specified in published material, but it occupies a wider-appellation position in the range, likely softer in tannin and less age-driven than the Dogliani.

The Langhe Bianco rounds the lineup with a white wine from native Piemonte varieties grown on old and untamed Dogliani vines. Native varieties from calcareous marl soils in this part of the Langhe tend toward firm acidity and restrained fruit weight, though specific tasting detail for this wine is not yet published by the estate.

In The Glass

The Dogliani DOCG opens with dark cherry, dried violet, and a thread of bitter almond, the aromatic register that Dolcetto produces on calcareous marl when ripened slowly. The nose is fresh rather than heavy. On the palate, the 18 to 20 day maceration has built tannin that is firm and present without being dry or angular: the submerged cap technique draws colour and grip from the skins without the rougher extract that comes from aggressive cellar work. Acidity runs through the mid-palate. The finish carries the slightly bitter note that is characteristic of Dolcetto, resolved cleanly rather than lingering. The wine has enough tannin and acid to develop over three to five years from a ripe vintage, though it drinks without difficulty on release.

A Bottle To Understand It

Start with the Monterustico Dogliani DOCG. It is 100% Dolcetto grown on the estate's calcareous clay marl parcels in Farigliano and Dogliani, organically farmed, fermented over 18 to 20 days with a partly submerged cap, and aged in stainless steel. Those choices are not neutral: the long maceration and stainless vessel place the grape, the soil, and the site in the glass without wood or extracted tannin competing. The wine gives you dark cherry, dried violet, and a firm acid line from the calcareous soils, and a clean bitter finish that distinguishes Dolcetto from softer red grapes. The Dogliani is 100% Dolcetto grown on the hills of Farigliano and Dogliani, with long maceration and a partly submerged cap.

Anecdote

By 2015, Dolcetto had lost the price argument in the Dogliani hills. Hazelnuts fetched more per kilogram than Dolcetto grapes, and the gap had grown wide enough that growers with old vines were making a straightforward calculation: the hazelnut trees were more profitable and far less labour-intensive. Vineyards that had grown Dolcetto since the thirteenth century were being converted or left to go wild. The Vaira family, already established in the Langhe through G.D. Vajra's Barolo and Nebbiolo programme, came to Farigliano and looked at an abandoned estate with old Dolcetto vines on calcareous clay marl. They bought it, certified it organic, and committed to the long macerations and stainless ageing that give the Dogliani its depth. The hazelnuts are still growing in the neighbouring fields.

Final Word

Monterustico is a small estate with a specific argument: that Dolcetto, grown on old vines in the calcareous hills south of Barolo and farmed without shortcuts, produces wine worth seeking out. The Dogliani DOCG is the clearest expression of that argument in the glass: dark fruit, firm acidity, clean tannin, and ageing potential. The Vaira family made their name on Nebbiolo, and chose to spend it on a grape the market had discounted.

Sources

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