Sordo Giovanni (Piedmont, Italy)

 

Just below the village of Barolo, in the heart of the Langhe, lies the family-run Azienda Agricola Sordo Giovanni in Castiglione Falletto. The Sordo family has been making wine for more than three generations, since grandfather Giuseppe founded the estate in the early 1900s. It was his son Giovanni, together with his wife Maria, who built the estate into what it is today, acquiring vineyards in many of the finest sites of the Barolo region.

Today, Sordo owns an exceptional collection of vineyards across the Langhe, with 53 hectares under vines. Particularly impressive is their selection of six single-vineyard Barolos from six different villages: Rocche di Castiglione and Parussi in Castiglione Falletto, Gabutti in Serralunga d'Alba, Monvigliero in Verduno, Perno in Monforte d'Alba and Ravera in Novello. Few producers can offer such a broad and distinguished selection of Barolo crus.

The vineyards are planted on the deep calcareous marl soils typical of the Langhe, ideally suited to Nebbiolo, producing wines with remarkable structure, fragrance and ageing potential. Traditional winemaking remains at the heart of the estate, complemented by modern winery facilities and extensive oak-cellar ageing.

WineProvisionShop visited Sordo in early 2016, and we were deeply impressed by the quality and character of the wines. A particular highlight was a vertical tasting of their flagship Rocche di Castiglione, where the 2006 and 2008 vintages showed beautifully. We subsequently imported a selection of classic vintages, including 2-15, 2011, and 2010. Sordo also produces excellent wines beyond Barolo, including Roero Arneis from Vezza d'Alba and elegant Nebbiolo d'Alba from the Roero. The Arneis is bottled under the Paola Sordo label, named after Giorgio Sordo's daughter and reflecting the important role that the women of the Sordo family have played throughout the estate's history.

For us, Sordo represents exactly what makes Piedmont so fascinating: a traditional family estate with an extraordinary range of vineyards, allowing the different personalities of the great Barolo crus to be experienced side by side.