Castello di Cigognola

Castello d i Cigognola: Noble roots, noble wines.

Cigognola – In some 15^th century documents, the wine produced in the area of Cigognola is defined as “vino bono puro et neto” (good, pure and clear wine). In  1458, Giorgio Visconti Aicardi Scaramuzza, Earl of Cigognola, commits himself to give his brother Alessandro half of his property, including the Castle and vineyards, but reserving the rights on some of the best wine barrels. Castello di Cigognola’s Oltrepò Pavese has a very strong connection with that past: it is a high-class wine, able to express its potentials, and the real character of vines and its land. The vineyard is part of the D.O.C. Oltrepò Pavese area, 33 hectares of land with a specific winemaking vocation for the vine growing in the area: Barbera. Its structure is a medium mix, tending to clayey, with low skeleton.

Vineyards are approximately 350 metres above sea-level, on very steep plots of land. The microclimate is extraordinary for the area: low rainfall, mild winters, a wide range of day and night temperatures and light winds throughout the year, all playing a protective role. Human work does the rest: guyot cultivation, with a density of 3,800 vines per hectare, short pruning, natural soil grassing, no fertilizers, and significant grape bunch thinning out.

A production of excellence, of great structure and complexity, capable of giving emotion to every taste. Year after year, the wines of the Castello di Cigognola winery conquer the heart of the tasters and the best awards from the most important wine guides in Italy.

Located on the 45th parallel, this generous land is favored by a microclimate and exceptional soil pedological characteristics. The knowledge of the terroir and the great work in the vineyard and in the winery, under the direction of the oenologist Riccardo Cotarella, ensure that the cultivated vines can best express their potential and organoleptic qualities.

The heart of the company is the old castle of the twelfth century, declared historical patrimonion by FAI (Fondo Ambiente Italiano), surrounded by thirty-six hectares of property, of which 28 are vineyards, where they are cultivated, with agricultural methods with low environmental impact, Barbera , Pinot Nero and Nebbiolo.