Poderi Moretti
Meeting with one of the oldest producing families of Piedmont
Poderi Moretti is a family vineyard located in the Italian Piedmont and more specifically in Monteu Roero. This estate is the result of the union of two of the oldest producing families in the region, the Occhetti and Moretti.
For a very long time the family produced grapes that were sold to large local wine houses (Langhe). But for about forty years, under the impulse of Francesco Moretti the family began to keep some of the grapes for winemaking and bottling on the estate. At first it was only a small part of the grapes and the wines produced were mostly for family and friends.
Currently Poderi Moretti covers 38 hectares of which 22 are planted with vines. The rest is occupied by fruit trees, hazelnut trees and forests. The vineyard is mostly planted in Nebbiolo, to a lesser extent Arneis (native grapes), Barbera and more anecdotally with some international grape varieties.
It produces, on average, each year 35,000 bottles divided into 12 different vintages (red, white, rosé, sparkling). However, Cascina Moretti continues to sell a majority of its harvest to other local producers. Each year this share sold is revised downward. The ultimate goal is to vinify and bottle all the grapes produced on the vineyards of the family.
Meeting with Riccardo and Alessandra Moretti, sons and daughters of Francesco Moretti …
Why did you choose to become a winemaker?
“My family has been making wine here since 1630 … so there is a strong family tradition. At first, if I started to study oenology it’s mainly because I wanted to work with my father on the family estate. Little by little, I fell in love with this profession, this world. So, I made the choice to leave to improve at the University of Turin because I saw all the potential there was on our vineyard, the possibilities of evolution. Subsequently, I returned to the property to become the 2014 winemaker. I like this versatile profession, of soil, manual work, rich in challenges, rich in human contacts and which makes it possible to work in a family! ”
If you had to describe your passion for your job in a few words, what would you say?
“I would say: The love of Nebbiolo, family vineyard and tradition … I am lucky to be able to do this job and do it on my field. I would also add that I like to do it not to have to apply a unique recipe to each vineyard but to make the wine case by case. ”
What do you think is the signature of Poderi Moretti ?
“I would say that what we are looking for (and I think what characterizes us so) is elegance and finesse while respecting terroirs and tradition. We bring great importance to the respect of the terroirs, the fact that the wine must reflect its land.
For several decades, winemakers in our region have been divided over the use or not of the barrel. My family has chosen to stay in the traditional method and so we use the vast majority of casques. However, for some cuvées we still use some barrels, in addition to casks, to bring a bit more complexity. ”
What makes your terroir so special?
“In general, the region consists of different clays (limestone marl, blue marl), tuff sand, sand and sulphurous chalk. This soil composition attests to the presence here of an ocean several millions of years ago.
In Poderi Moretti, thanks to our different plots of vineyards more or less distant from each other we do not have one but many different micro-climates, soils typical of the region (Montaldo Roero, Santo Stefano Roero, Vezza d’Alba, Govone …). It is this wealth of terroirs that we try to transcribe through each single vineyard. For example, our Cuvée Occhetti, which is our top wine comes from our most qualitative vineyard. It is racy, balanced, elegant and offers a good aging potential.
We also make some blends which allows us to have to offer different wines, more complex. The assemblages of these are always done after vinification and not co-fermentations.
On our vineyards, we have old vines planted by my grandfather more than 70 years ago as well as many parcels planted by my father 35/40 years ago. ”
Do you have plans for Poderi Moretti ?
” Yes. We are buying vineyard plots to expand our vineyard. We are also changing our labels/packaging. We would also like to expand our sales abroad, we are currently working on them a lot … ”
Anecdote: Where does your family’s coat of arms come from?
“It’s a legacy from my father’s family. This is an old coat of arms of the family that we found in a book that attests to the presence in the region of our family since at least 1630. It consists of three spurs and a man of bronze. We think that at the time the family had horses or rode horses. The bronze man is surely a reference to the color of the skin … which would also explain our last name (Moretti = dark skin). ”
Thanks to Riccardo and Alessandra Moretti for their warm welcome
Choukroun Chicheportiche Jonathan
Podere Morreti
Frazione Occheti 15 – 12040
Monteu Roero (CN), Italia
Tel : (0039) 017390383
