Atilio Ghisolfi

The entire vineyard area, 7 hectares, is located in Monforte D'Alba, in the Visette region and a good half of it is used for Barolo production. Visette is part of the Bussia Crus and offers ideal growing conditions for the Nebbiolo grape variety . The orientation of the Ghisolfi plots runs south-southwest at an almost perfect elevation of 350m above sea level. The orientation and the altitude ensure that the temperature differences between day and night are large, allowing the grapes to develop complex aromas, among other things.

Gianmarco produces his finest Barolo wines from Visette Crus grapes, which come from vines with an average age of sixty years. He practices integrated viticulture and uses neither pesticides nor herbicides. He uses only organic fertilizers and copper and sulfur in as small doses as possible to control fungus.

In the wine cellar, he uses different barrels for fermentation and barrels of different sizes for aging. Gianmarco only uses wild yeasts for fermentation. The Barolo Bussia is aged in 15-50 HL large barrels, while the Barolo Bricco Visette is aged in the same large barrels as well as in occupied barriques. The Barolo Fantini Riserva, on the other hand, is matured in tonneaux (double barriques) and also in large Slovenian oak barrels.

The Ghisolfi winery is located on the top of the Bussia vineyard.

Right on the small road that connects the two wine communities of Castiglione Falletto and Monforte D'Alba. The location of the 3-century-old building is overwhelmingly beautiful. Surrounded by very steep, almost majestic vineyards and the view of the Alps in the background.

The current owner, Gianmarco Ghisolfi, is the 4th generation to run the winery with the support of his father Attilio and his entire family.

The great turning point for the Attilio Ghisolfi company came in 1988. Until then, the company had been a mixed farm based mainly on the production of fruit and grapes. At that time, no business could survive from viticulture alone.

When Gianmarco joined the company, a new era began for the small family winery. Gianmarco changed the entire operational structure with the aim of producing high-quality and sustainable wines. The first label "Attilio Ghisolfi" was born and gradually the wines produced were also marketed in bottles. This was rather unusual at the time because the grapes were almost exclusively sold to the cooperatives. In fact, Ghisolfi was among the first wineries in the Langhe to produce a Barolo single-vineyard wine from the Bussia vineyard.

Little by little, the land planted with fruit trees was transformed into vineyards With foresight, new areas particularly suitable for the cultivation of Nebbiolo were acquired. The company gradually grew with an overarching goal: To produce sustainable wines of undeniable quality.

In 2020, during the Corona Pandemic, the family decided to completely change the design of their wine labels. To use the label as a kind of communication vehicle for the company's philosophy and goals. The result is impressive, because the design of the new label not only impresses with its elegance and creativity, but also tells the family story. The grape turns into a hot air balloon. This balloon then rises and slowly pulls a person with it, this person being intentionally blurred. This is intended to illustrate the difficulties and uncertainties on the company's growth path. The star on the label symbolizes the dreams and the goal to be achieved.

Like the human who climbs the peak and puts up a flag there. Instead of putting up the flag after reaching the goal, Ghisolfi put a star on the label that the person tries to reach for . This star symbolizes the overarching Ghisolfi goal: that the quality of his wines should be at the highest level.

Another milestone for Gianmarco was the conversion from conventional to organic viticulture. Producing wines of the highest quality and respecting the biological diversity of the vineyard ecosystem, these principles stand side by side for Gianmarco.

As a winegrower who works in harmony with nature, he promotes living soil life through species-rich greening and thus also prevents soil erosion. Then a healthy wild flora can form in the open spaces, which offers a perfect environment for the beneficial insects that are so important in the vineyard. Gianmarco has thus created the best conditions for healthy, ripe and aromatic grapes, from which high-quality wines can then be produced in the wine cellar. Gianmarco now produces three excellent Barolo single site wines from the renowned Bussia Cru in good vintages.