The Ferraris Estate produces about 130,000 bottles of wine (about 50,000 of Ruchè) from 18 vineyards covering 25 hectares. Luca Ferraris Agricola is the largest family owned agricultural company in the seven municipalities of the Ruchè-growing region.
Date Founded: 1999
To understand how the Luca Ferraris winery came about we must trace the story back to the nineteenth century when Luca’s great-grandfather Luigi Ferraris emigrated to America during the gold rush. Striking gold, he sent the money back to his wife Bruno Teresa, giving her the chance to realize her dream. After her husband passed away in 1921, she bought the house in Via al Castello that until recently housed Luca’s winery. Two years later, Luca’s grandfather Martino purchased II Casot, at the time nothing more than a simple rural hut in the middle of 40,000 square meters of land. Martino planted vines and bought barrels to make wine with his own grapes in his own cellar. He started by selling his wine to wholesalers in the area, then later began to increase his business by selling larger bottles to individuals traveling back and forth to Turin every week on horseback. Today on that land we have one of our most representative vineyards: Vigna del Casot.
Following the footsteps of Luca’s grandfather Martino, it was up to his father to decide what to do with the family’s passion for wine. In the time of the great industrialization by Fiat in Turin, he moved to the city as his peers did, but he also decided to keep his passion for the vineyards alive by collecting and giving its grapes to the agricultural cooperative in the village. That continued every year until 1999, when after graduation as an agriculturist, Luca began working at the family business, restoring the old cellar and starting to make wine from the vineyards. It was the turning point for the operation, and perhaps even for the Ruchè variety. In the area of the seven municipalities producing Ruchè, Luca was the first to thin vineyards to improve their quality. He wanted the company to specialize exclusively in high-quality production and also began to travel the world looking for new customers and markets. Production was raised from 10,000 bottles in the 2000 vintage to 60,000 in 2003 thanks to a partnership with Randall Grahm, the Californian winemaker founder of already famous for his Bonny Doon Vineyard. Today the Ferraris estate produces about 130,000 bottles of wine (about 50,000 of Ruchè) from 18 vineyards covering 25 hectares. Luca Ferraris Agricola is the largest family owned agricultural company in the seven municipalities of the Ruchè-growing region.
Winery:
The new Luca Ferraris winery was built in 2009. It was finished on August 31, just in time to press its Viognier harvest the following day. The switch to a more modern winery was necessary – despite the global economic climate, the company was growing rapidly, thanks in no small measure to the increasing popularity of Ruchè. The building, 1,000 square meters wide and three stories high, is on the main road between Asti and Castagnole Monferrato. The cellar and storage room are underground, where the temperature and humidity are constant year-round. The ground floor is where all production, from pressing to bottling, takes place. Advanced machinery allows Ferraris to produce the best possible wines without interfering with their natural characteristics. This is possible only through the combination of modern technology and the knowledge of old winemakers. Luca’s family taught him not to pander to a wider but less-educated public by producing wines that betray the typical characteristics of each variety. Also on the ground floor, behind the bottling line, are the company offices where the Luca Ferraris team meets to discuss production and marketing strategies. Above the offices on the first floor is the wine tasting room that seats up to 30 people. Large windows overlook the production area allowing tasters a view across the winery – illustrating the total transparency in Ferraris’ production.
Accornero Brigantino Malvasia di Casorzo is made from 100% Malvasia.
Malvasia is a pleasant, sweet wine, low in alcohol content, that can be enjoyed at any time of day. Made exclusively from grapes grown in the hilltop vineyards of Casorzo and neighboring villages, it’s the pride and prestige of the area. It has always been the star wine of all local festivals. A comfort wine for all seasons and reasons, it has an aroma evocative of roses. The rich, aromatic wine is ruby-red, vibrant and slightly frothy. lt can be paired with desserts, fruit salads and sweets, but it can also be enjoyed as an aperirif or as a drink for any party occasion.
Color: Vibrant Ruby red
Bouquet: Sweet and aromatic, floral
Taste: Aromatic with rose fragrances
Great companion to desserts, such as biscotti / cantucci (Italian almond biscuits from Piemonte)
Long Shadows Pirouette Meritage is made from 68% Cabernet Sauvignon 15% Merlot 8% Petit Verdot 6% Cabernet Franc 3% Malbec
Philippe Melka, named one of the top nine winemakers in the world by Robert Parker, used small lots from Washington State's finest vineyards to craft this enticing red blend.
Like the last several growing seasons, 2016 was another hot year that required extra care in the vineyards. Building on the success of our canopy managment program over the last few vintages, we worked with growers throughout the season to encourage growth of the canes and outside foliage to protect against the sun while opening up the fruit zone for even maturation. Warm temperatures in the fall hastened ripening, but the Columbia Valley's cool autumn nights protected the grapes' acidity, yielding bright, vibrant wines that will drink well in their youth but also promise to bring enjoyement to those who cellar.
A variety of fermentation methods were used to enhance complexity and richness in this classic Bordeaux blend. Hand-harvested Cabernet was fermented in 400L French oak barrels that were gently rolled throughout fermentation to integrate the oak with refined, dark fruit flavors and give the wine its silky mouthfeel. All other varieties were fermented in traditional stainless steel tanks, with select lots enjoying longer skin contact to enhance the wine's dark color and mid-palate. The finished wine was aged 22 months in French oak barrels (75% new) before bottling unfiltered and unfined.
Review:
"The 2016 Pirouette is made by Philippe Melka and it's a total blockbuster based on 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, and the palate Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc, and Malbec that was fermented in barrel and aged 22 months in 75% new oak. Crème de cassis, blackberries, toasted spices, cedar, and forest floor notes all emerge from this deep, rich, opulent red that has sweet tannins, a thrilling texture, no hard edges, and a monster finish. This is another best-to-date from this estate and it's an awesome wine." -Jeb Dunnuck 97 Points
Tenuta di Arceno Valadorna is made from 60% Merlot, 32% Cabernet Franc, 4% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Petit Verdot .
The first impression of the nose is earthy with notes of cypress, vanilla bean, and spice. There are deep fruit flavors of black cherries, plums and blueberries followed by pleasant hints of chocolate and dried rose petals. On the palate, the tannins are chewy and accompanied by lively acidity; contributing to a long finish dominated by flavors of dried figs and licorice. The 2016 Valadorna is a time bomb of joy that will stand the test of time and age well in the cellar if patience permits.
This Merlot-led blend is sourced primarily from the Valadorna and Capraia blocks, which produce the estate’s most complex and mineral-based expressions of this variety. The blocks are located within the cooler part of the estate, naturally irrigated by the stream that undulates through it, and feature sandy brown soils and lower yields than typical. These blocks are often the last Merlot blocks to ripen on the estate.
Review:
Solid and radiant in the glass it shows notes of pink grapefruit, flowering geraniums, pressed blueberries, plums and rosemary. There is more in the background in the brightness of the lemon, lime and bergamot notes. Full body, well-polymerized tannins that are decidedly vibrant and tense at the moment and an impressive long finish that will relax over time. Better from 2024.
-Raffaele Vecchione - WinesCritic.com 96 Points