Who makes it
Le Colline, which translates as "the hills," is a collective of farming families from the heart of Piemonte who joined forces and grow grapes on land they own. The name anchors everything: not a single estate but a group of growers whose parcels span the Langhe and Monferrato, two of the region's most recognisable wine landscapes.
The range moves through Piemonte's two principal red grapes. Barbera carries the accessible tier, bottled as a Barbera d'Alba DOC wine from 100% Barbera. Nebbiolo runs through the mid-section, expressed as a Monferrato wine. Barolo Riserva sits at the top, the most age-oriented bottle in the group. A fourth wine, Caia La Guardia, completes the range.
Where it grows
Piemonte is a landlocked region in northwestern Italy, bordered by the Alps and the Apennines, with a continental climate: cold winters, warm summers, and autumn fog that settles across the valley floors. The Langhe and Monferrato are two distinct zones within that larger frame.
Langhe is the territory most associated with Nebbiolo and Barolo. Its slopes are higher, the soils calcareous, and the elevation brings cooler nights that extend the ripening window. Barbera d'Alba, the designation on Le Colline's most documented wine, draws fruit from across the broader Alba zone, which includes both the classic Langhe hillsides and the lower-lying land toward the Tanaro river.
How it is made
The cellar
The vineyards belong to the member families. Each family grows grapes on its own land, and those grapes feed the Le Colline range. The distribution of parcels across Langhe and Monferrato allows the collective to source from both calcareous Langhe hillsides and from the more clay-influenced Monferrato land, where the same grape gives a rounder, earlier-drinking style.
Cellar method details are not available from verified sources. What can be said is that the Barbera d'Alba was held in bottle for seven years before release and arrived at full maturity by that point, which implies a significant ageing commitment for a grape that most producers release young. Whether that involved extended oak time or simply extended bottle age is not documented.
What they make
The range has four bottles, each at a different point in the regional hierarchy.
The Barbera d'Alba is 100% Barbera, placed in the Barbera d'Alba DOC. The 2019 vintage was held for seven years before release. It is described as full and generous, with fruit and acidity in balance and noticeable tannins on the finish. At seven years of age, the grape's characteristic high acidity has softened, the dark fruit has deepened from fresh cherry into something richer and more settled, and the tannins have had time to integrate rather than sit at the surface.
Wines to try
First bottle
Start with the Barbera d'Alba 2019. It is 100% Barbera from the Barbera d'Alba DOC, held for seven years before release. At that age the wine has arrived at something that young Barbera does not show: the acidity has settled into the palate rather than leading it, the dark fruit has deepened and rounded, and the tannins on the finish have softened to an even grip. It is a generous, full-bodied wine that does not demand further patience. It shows what the collective chose to prioritise, and it gives a clear picture of what the Barbera d'Alba zone and the grape produce together when given time to develop.