"If you don't want to use it, sell it." An edict of sorts from his father posed to Renato Vezza stirred emotions within him. This plot atop a Roero hill had been his grandfather's, Ernesto, who had passed in 1993. Renato's father had sold off the grapes to a Barolo house since, while Renato followed his wanderlust, ending up in London as a sommelier, as well as in Canada as a sushi chef....who on the side would help introduce the wine buyers to the Italian wines he knew from back home. Returning to the Roero in 2015, Renato felt a tug toward creating something from his family's land; "I knew nothing - the market was closed off, I knew what I liked, but not how to make it. I think I made 300 bottles that first year."
"In London," Renato admits, "There were few Roereo; everything was French or it was Barolo. I didn't think about Roero, and when I started I didn't want to use the DOC." Roero had become a forgotten place, where the density and richness was not akin to Barolo or Barbaresco, hence the market not representing strongly the wines of the region. Yet Renato came to realize what special character the land held; though he didn't make wine, his father had quietly converted the vineyard entirely to organic viticulture, becoming one of the first in Italy to be certified in 1990. This represents perhaps a common thread throughout the family line - doing something because you feel it necessary , not necessarily because you were schooled to do so.
Such is the case in Renato's journey into winemaking; in contrast, it's very little about the actual winemaking, and about the work long before the grapes even get there. "I have to respect as much as I can the vineyard; in the cellar it doesn’t really matter - put the stuff in the tank, it will be fine. If the grape are good because you did a good job, used no chemicals, then everything will take care of itself. "
Naturally, as a former sommelier Renato is quite curious and loves to taste; when prodded about what inspires him, he was quick to name Giacosa and Conterno, citing their precision. Roagna was next off his lips: "We speak often; he helps with any problems, and shows me precision in the vineyard. When we first talked about my project, I told Luca, 'Everyone thinks I am crazy!' He smiled, and said, 'Oh, me too!'"
"Roero is the younger brother of the b’s (Barolo & Barbaresco), he always wants to come up but is not strong enough. This has changed a lot - I'm very happy to help promote this." Before, he says, they (the vignerons within Roero) were trying to make Barolo, but did not understand they had fantastic terroir; "It's more elegant, more fine, more precise whether that is in 1 day or 10 years. Roero's sand creates a fantastic bouquet, and can make a beautiful wine."
Viticulture & Vinification
"We have the potential on paper to make 15-18,000 bottles; we don't do that because we don't treat the vines. Why would I treat the vines every three days? Some years there is more, some years there is less - that's life."
Every red wine will be at least partially sourced from the 90 year-old vines of his grandfather. The average age is 30-35 vines across all the plots. The Arneis was planted in 2014, and there was experimentation with different training systems - albarello, guyot, but cordon espalier was settled on. Only Renato and his partner Elisa tend the vines, still, which they feel creates a unique connection and energy that comes into the resultant wines.
Not preferring the lighter-styled Arneis, Renato will utilize the skins to create more texture and depth. "it's not like Chardonnay - it's a very difficult grape - there is human mistake and there is vintage impact." The skin contact will extend until Renato and Elisa find the taste to be just right, and the wine is finished in oak without the skins. Malo-lactic is allowed to commence, and the wine will remain on the natural lees within amphorae; the wine will not be perfectly clear, as the natural lees amplify the flavors & textures. "Amphorae are better than concrete, because there are no chemicals; 100% wood is not favored, since it can [mute] the bouquet of Arneis. Amphora is better also for micro-oxygenation, and won't add to the taste."
For the reds, "It is more simple, more stable per vintage," says Renato. The wines will go in small cement tanks, and the temperature is cool enough within the winery naturally. There are some pump-overs, and then the cap will be submerged in a closed tank for the rest of the fermentations. "In the past, fermentations were short, maybe 20 days. Now, we see them going 4 weeks to even 55 days sometimes. 2023 took 48 days for the red. We don't force anything, we leave it alone. You have to wait as much as you have to wait."
The Black-labeled "Roero 110" is in homage to what would have been Ernesto's 110th birthday; a whopping 778 bottles were made. "I made this for Roero, and for him. The top of that vineyard is somewhere between 80-100 years old - everybody is dead, nobody knows. It is special, and I wanted this to have the Roero name."
"Rebellious Nature" Collaborations
In 2020, Renato and Elisa decided to collaborate with other like-minded producers, allowing them to experiment outside of their home vineyard. "With the VdT label, well, I say I can make whatever I want - I don't want anyone telling me what to do," admits Renato. Everybody who participates in this collaboration must adhere to a few rules: no chemicals; must be biodynamic or organic in the vineyard; everything must be co-fermented - the grapes must balance themselves out together, naturally. The 2022 vintage was made in collaboration with Ale from Le More Bianche. Ernesto crafted a wine from interplanted varietals including Nebbiolo, Freisa, Bonarda (Croatina), Barbera, and a touch of Cortese and Arneis - not even he knows all the grapes within the plot that is now 8 years old. "Everything in the basket, and into the fermenter!"
In the coming years, the 2023 will be released in collaboration with Chiara Condello. Ernesto admits - not reflecting on any one collaborator but more as a fact of each winemaker's unique approach, feel and taste - that such a collaboration is not easy; however, the melding of such variables creates a unique verve in the final wines, both in their essence and their meaning. They may not be for every drinker, but they are quite special!
