Alta Langa: business, history and family, a new project by Roberta Ceretto and Giuseppe Blengini

The Ceretto family has left a deep mark in the history of Piedmont wine in the Langhe, especially with its Barolo, Barbaresco and Arneis wines. Now, Roberta Ceretto, third generation at the helm of the Ceretto wineries, (together with her brother Federico and cousins ​​Alessandro and Lisa), and her husband, Giuseppe Blengini, architect and “signature” of the famous “Acino” that dominates the Monsordo Estate in Alba, headquarters of Ceretto, are about to start writing a new page in Alta Langa as well. Alta Langa is one of the top quality Italian sparkling wine territories that have grown the most in the past few years (+ 42% sales growth in 2021 compared to 2019, and consumption turnover estimated at 30 million euros, according to data from the Alta Langa Consortium, led by Giulio Bava).
The ingredients of this “private” project, which is not connected to the Ceretto Company, link history, entrepreneurial vision and family. Alta Langa Monsignore will soon debut two vintages on the market, 2017 and 2018, a production of 8.000 bottles, and a medium-term goal reaching 50.000. The production comes from the vineyards of Cascina Monsignore, in Vicoforte. The vineyards are on the historic land, home of the Bishop of Mondovì Michele Casati, who, in the second half of the eighteenth century, began construction of a building projected by the Savoy architect De Robilant, which he used as a summer residence, and an adjoining winery to produce wine for the Episcopal Curia. Since the early twentieth century, the Blengini family has owned it.
“My husband and I were married in 2009, and for years, we had been wondering what to do to ensure continuity to such a historical company. Finally, we chose wine”, Roberta Ceretto explained to WineNews, “in Alta Langa. In 2014, we started experimenting different clones of Chardonnay and Pinot Nero, and we had our first harvest in 2017. My family knows Nebbiolo grape well for Barolo and Barbaresco wines, but we wanted top quality in Alta Langa, so we asked advice from an expert local winemaker, Giuseppe Caviola, then we really began our project. We are in a special area, on the border between Langhe and Alta Langa, and the vineyards are between 550 and 600 meters, above sea level. We are considered pioneers of sparkling wine in Vicoforte. We believe in this project as much as we believe in Alta Langa, and many of the local producers have very warmly welcomed us”.
Today, Cascina Monsignore has 44 hectares of land, 10 are vineyards, and 8 are in Alta Langa. Two hectares are still in Dolcetto, which the Blengini family has been producing for years, but now they produce wine more for sentimental reasons than anything else, mostly for friends. So, Monsignore will only produce Alta Langa”, Roberta Ceretto explained and added, “we are buying more land because we totally believe in Alta Langa, but the future is unknown, because the vineyard register is closed. In any case, it is a bubble that has grown immensely in quality and on the market. There are really interesting wines, and the territory is very excited”. Roberta Ceretto also explained that in addition to the growth of wine, there are great prospects for hospitality and wine tourism.
“We are in a very special place. It takes 25 minutes by car from Vicoforte to reach the ski slopes of Prato Nevoso, and 45 minutes by motorway to Savona at the seaside in Liguria, or to go to Alba. Recently, we have noticed that tourists who come to the Langhe”, Roberta Ceretto added, who, together with Ceretto, also owns Enrico Crippa's three-starred restaurant, Piazza Duomo, in Alba, as well as the trattoria, La Piola, “literally want to “wander around the territory. They will spend a day in Alba, then a day between Barolo and Barbaresco, which are a must, but then they want to see what else is around. From here you can go anywhere within 40 minutes by car. We are 10 minutes away from Dogliani, and there are wonderful places to visit, which have even more variety of woods, farms and animals. It is the area of the ​​Bue Grasso (fat ox), and uncultivated fields, except perhaps for wheat. Then, Mondovi is a stone's throw away, which, in the past, was an important hub, and is also very beautiful from an architectural and historical point of view. In other words, my husband Giuseppe Blengini and my Cascina Monsignore project aims to enhance a territory that is beautiful and already has everything, including great cuisine, but needs to be better and more widely known”.
One of the interesting parts of the project, which has always confirmed the strong bond between the Ceretto family and art, will be labels on the bottles, which will be designed by a different artist every three years. And the renowned Francesco Clemente as been chosen for the debut labels. e is one of the main players, together with Sandro Chia (also vigneron in Montalcino, at the Castle of Romitorio, ed.), Enzo Cucchi, Nicola De Maria and Mimmo Paladino of the Italian transavantgarde (as well as a long-time friend of the Ceretto family - his frescoes are in the hall of the Piazza Duomo restaurant in Alba, ed.).