Cordero di Montezemolo

The Monfalletto estate boasts a centuries-old history. Its beginnings date back to April 3, 1340, when Pietrino Falletti became the owner of the commune of La Morra, which was made possible by a loan granted by the commune of Alba. Through the centuries the family increased its holdings, sold them, divided them up, lost them, passed them down to heirs, and so on, through the various family branches that appeared and disappeared throughout the whole of Piedmont.

The La Morra property, however, was held continuously through 16 generations, from 1340 until the Countess Luigia Falletti di Rodello passed away in 1941.  When one branch of the family tree ended, the property was passed down to the closest eligible heir Paolo Cordero di Montezemolo, the grandson of the Countess, and father of the current owner Giovanni Cordero di Montezemolo, who together with his children Elena and Alberto still continue to personally manage the vineyards and take care of the fruit. The Monfalletto estate in the district of Annunziata was already listed on topographical maps and early land registers from as far back as the middle ages.

Today, the property consists of 28 continuous hectares that are being cultivated in every direction around the buildings situated on the hilltops.  The vines, which produce the traditional local grape varieties (Nebbiolo, Dolcetto, Barbera, Arneis), boast an exclusive and highly desirable location, as well as plants of considerable age and a unique and complex subsoil.

Year after year, this prized stretch of land works silently to produce some of the wines that have made Piedmont famous all over the world.

The winery and the farm, following several years of restoration and expansion, is today a perfect symbol and example of integrated architecture, where an age-old, traditional structure merges seamlessly and elegantly with modern innovation. Within these walls is the past, present, and future of Cordero di Montezemolo wines. The soil has always been cultivated by the family using the most effective cultivating techniques while trying to be as least invasive as possible in order to preserve the biodiversity of the land and provide a healthy and ideal environment for those who work and compete for the final quality of the products. For this very same reason, only fertilizers of organic origin are used (purely Langhe bovine/equine manure) rather than chemical fertilizers, and synthetic products are not used in managing vine disease. Natural mineral products are used and land is managed with mechanical soil working (plowing, ripping, scarification, mowing and natural grassing) to promote natural sustainability for the local ecosystem.

The entire company also uses “green” energy from the provider www.repower.com and contributes to the Repower certified and guaranteed recyclability project for the development and consumption of clean energy. Through a well-designed network of pipelines, a large tank collects the rainwater from roof gutters, allowing the water to be completely recycled for phytosanitary treatment, cleaning of farm machinery and management of plants and gardens without having to draw even a liter from the urban water supply. In addition, an artesian well 250 meters deep provides a sustained water supply even during drier years.