Italy · Monferrato & Asti

Tenuta San Mauro

Bianco family estate on a hill between Asti and Alba, making Barbaresco from 100% Nebbiolo and Alta Langa sparkling wines in Castagnole delle Lanze.

The producer

On the crest of a hill in Castagnole delle Lanze, the Bianco family farms 70 hectares that belong to neither the Asti district nor the Alba district entirely, but sit between them. Forty hectares are vineyard; the rest is grassland, woodland, and trees. Mauro Bianco runs the estate with Davide Bianco, and the range is built on Nebbiolo, expressed as three distinct Barbaresco DOCG bottlings and two Alta Langa DOCG sparkling wines.

Mauro traces the estate's character to two inheritances: from his mother Clara, a pleasure in wine and a refusal to compromise on authenticity; from his father Ettore, a love of the land and of old agricultural practice. The family's motto, "Tradition and challenge," describes both. The challenge is concrete: the Barbaresco Canova is built for 20 to 25 years of development, a commitment to what Nebbiolo from this hilltop can become when the cellar does not hurry it.

Known for

Barbaresco DOCG; Alta Langa DOCG sparkling

Notable facts

The story

Two Parents, One Motto

Mauro Bianco does not describe his philosophy in general terms. He traces it to two specific people. His mother Clara gave him what he calls the pleasure of wine and a commitment to authenticity at all costs. His father Ettore gave him a love of the land and of ancient agriculture, its traditions and its values. When Mauro eventually put those two inheritances together into a motto for the estate, he chose "Tradition and challenge." The tradition came from Ettore, from the farming practices and the attachment to this particular hill in Castagnole delle Lanze. The challenge came from Clara, from her refusal to accept that a wine could be anything other than exactly what it was. The estate's three-tier Barbaresco range, including a Canova built to last 20 to 25 years, is what that combination looks like in a bottle.

From the atlas

Tenuta San Mauro

At A Glance

Producer: Tenuta San Mauro Family: Bianco Location: Castagnole delle Lanze, between the Asti and Alba districts, Piemonte Grapes: Nebbiolo; Pinot Nero and Chardonnay for sparkling Wines: Barbaresco DOCG, Barbaresco Canova DOCG, Barbaresco Canova Riserva DOCG, Alta Langa Spumante DOCG, Alta Langa Spumante Rosato DOCG Visitor Access: Tastings, sales, vineyard visits

The Producer

On the crest of a hill in Castagnole delle Lanze, the Bianco family's estate spreads across 70 hectares, roughly half of which are vineyard and half grassland, woodland, and trees. The estate sits in a position that is neither fully Asti nor fully Alba: it straddles the boundary between the two districts, and that between-ness carries through into the range. Mauro Bianco runs the winery; Davide Bianco is also a presence in the business.

The family's approach comes out of two explicit inheritances. From his mother Clara, Mauro took what he calls a pleasure in wine and a commitment to authenticity. From his father Ettore, he took a love of the land and of old agriculture. The motto they have settled on is "Tradition and challenge," which is not a slogan but a description of what they are actually doing: farming Nebbiolo on a hilltop between two prestigious zones and making Barbaresco on their own terms.

Place

Castagnole delle Lanze is a comune in the Langhe hills of Piemonte, positioned between the Asti Monferrato zone to the north and the Alba Langhe zone to the south. Barbaresco, the DOCG appellation that covers the Bianco family's red wine ambitions, is defined territory: it runs across four communes near the town of Alba, and it is built entirely on Nebbiolo. The grape requires a particular combination of altitude, aspect, and clay-limestone soil to produce the tannic weight and aromatic depth the appellation is known for.

The San Mauro estate sits close enough to the core Alba zone to grow Barbaresco-quality Nebbiolo while remaining on a hilltop site that the family describes as varied in exposure and soil across its parcels. The 40 hectares of vineyard are not uniform. Neighbouring parcels face different aspects and stand on different ground, which is one reason the estate runs three distinct Barbaresco bottlings rather than a single blend.

Soil And Site

Vineyard parcel details, including precise soil types, elevations, and aspects, are not confirmed in available documentation. What is confirmed is that the vineyards, though close to each other, differ in exposure and in soil composition. The estate trains vines mainly on the Guyot system, single cane training that limits yield per vine and concentrates growth into a defined number of buds. In the Langhe, this is the dominant approach for quality-focused Nebbiolo farming.

The surrounding 30 hectares of grassland, trees, and woodland are not incidental. Managed land of this kind acts as a buffer against pest pressure and contributes to the overall ecological balance of the farm.

Story

The Bianco family frames its philosophy around two inheritances rather than a founding date or a pivotal vintage. Mauro Bianco has spoken directly about what he took from each parent: from Clara, a love of wine and a refusal to compromise on authenticity; from Ettore, an attachment to old agricultural practice and the values that come with farming land carefully over generations. The motto "Tradition and challenge" summarises both.

That framing has practical consequences for the range. The estate did not collapse its Barbaresco production into a single wine. It built three Barbaresco bottlings, from the estate-level bottling to the Canova designation to the Canova Riserva, in a way that separates the vineyard's different characters rather than smoothing them into one commercial line. The challenge side of the motto lives in the Canova: a Barbaresco the producer believes needs 20 to 25 years to reach its full development, a commitment to cellar time that is unusual even in a region where patience is built into the appellation rules.

Vineyards And Cellar

All three Barbarescos are made from 100% Nebbiolo. The estate-level Barbaresco goes through 15 days of fermentation and maceration in temperature-controlled stainless-steel tanks. Temperature control during fermentation allows the winemaker to manage extraction without the risk of volatile acidity or colour instability that comes from unchecked heat. Fifteen days is a moderate maceration for Nebbiolo, long enough to pull colour, tannin, and aromatic compounds from the skins, but not so extended as to build the kind of grip that requires decades before it softens.

After fermentation, the wine ages for 12 months in medium-toast French oak barrels and barriques. Medium toast on French oak gives a more integrated wood character than heavily charred barrels: it adds subtle spice and vanilla without overtaking the iron, tar, and dried cherry notes that Nebbiolo produces naturally. Twelve months in oak is a deliberate choice at the lighter end of what Barbaresco typically requires, suggesting the estate is aiming for a wine that shows its fruit relatively early rather than one that demands a decade of patience before the oak resolves.

Cellar and ageing details for the Canova and Canova Riserva are held separately by the producer.

Wines

The Barbaresco DOCG is the entry point into the range: 100% Nebbiolo, fermented in stainless steel, aged 12 months in French oak. It carries the appellation's characteristic combination of dried cherry, iron, and firm tannin, with the oak providing a spice background without dominating. The stainless steel fermentation preserves aromatic freshness; the 12-month oak maturation adds oak character.

The Barbaresco Canova DOCG steps up from there. The producer positions it as a long-ageing wine, with a development window of 20 to 25 years. In Barbaresco terms, that signals a wine with deeper tannin extraction, more concentrated fruit, and enough acid and grip to evolve rather than fade. It represents a different reading of the same Nebbiolo grape from parcels that differ in exposure and soil from those that feed the estate bottling.

The Barbaresco Canova Riserva DOCG extends that logic further: additional cellar time before release, for those who want a wine that has already begun to open. Riserva status in Barbaresco means a minimum of four years ageing before the wine can be sold, as against the two years required for standard Barbaresco.

The Alta Langa DOCG sparkling wines complete the portfolio. Alta Langa is a Piemontese appellation for traditional-method sparkling wines, made primarily from Pinot Nero and Chardonnay in communes at higher elevation south of Alba. The method mirrors Champagne in its second fermentation in bottle, extended lees contact, and disgorgement before release. San Mauro produces both a white spumante and a rosato spumante under this appellation.

In The Glass

The estate Barbaresco opens with the aromatic signature Nebbiolo is known for in the Langhe: dried cherry, dried rose, a hint of tar, and the iron-mineral note that comes from the grape in this part of Piemonte. On the palate, the tannin is firm but not austere: 15 days of maceration has built enough grip to give the wine shape without turning it bitter. The French oak adds a light spice and a mild vanilla note in the background. The acidity is present across the palate, the natural high acidity of Nebbiolo that keeps the wine from feeling heavy and gives it the line to age. The finish is long, dry, and slightly tannic, with the aromatic character staying into the aftertaste.

The Canova will show more of everything: deeper colour, tighter tannin, more concentrated fruit, and the kind of closed, almost stern quality that Nebbiolo with long-ageing ambitions carries in its early years. It rewards patience rather than early opening.

A Bottle To Understand It

Start with the Barbaresco DOCG. It is the clearest window into what the estate does with Nebbiolo: 100% of the grape, moderate maceration, 12 months in French oak, and the full aromatic register of dried cherry, iron, and dried rose that defines the appellation. The tannin is genuine but approachable, the acidity keeps everything alive, and the oak sits behind the fruit rather than in front of it. It is a wine that says what Barbaresco is and what this hilltop site produces, without requiring years of waiting to make sense of it. Open it a couple of hours before serving.

Anecdote

Mauro Bianco does not talk about his philosophy in abstract terms. He traces it to two specific people. His mother Clara gave him what he calls the pleasure of wine and a commitment to authenticity at all costs. His father Ettore gave him a love of the land and of ancient agriculture, its traditions and its values. When Mauro eventually put those two inheritances together into a motto for the estate, he chose "Tradition and challenge." The tradition came from Ettore, from the farming practices and the attachment to this particular hill in Castagnole delle Lanze. The challenge came from Clara, from her refusal to accept that a wine could be anything other than exactly what it was. The estate's three-tier Barbaresco range, including a Canova built to last 20 to 25 years, is what that combination looks like in a bottle.

Final Word

Tenuta San Mauro is a family estate on a hilltop that belongs to no single district. Castagnole delle Lanze sits between Asti and Alba, and the Bianco family has used that position to build a range anchored in Barbaresco DOCG Nebbiolo and complemented by traditional-method Alta Langa sparkling wines. The three Barbaresco bottlings reflect the estate's belief that nearby parcels, though close, produce wines that deserve to be kept separate. The family's core commitment is to authenticity in the glass rather than to commercial accessibility, and the Canova's 20-to-25-year development window makes that concrete.

Sources

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