briamara
The Land
There are more than a dozen wine zones in Piedmont’s Alpine foothills, (or Alta Piemonte: the DOC zones that run along the border with Valle d’ Aosta and follow the contours of the Alps).
However only one of them is dedicated exclusively to white wines: Caluso.
In a glacial basin around the towns of Caluso and Canavese, the ancient variety Erbaluce (early references date back to 1606) is vinified by a handful of producers into 3 different styles: still, sparkling and passito.
The grape name derives from the ‘Albaluce Legend’, which narrates that in olden times these hills were populated by nymphs and gods worshipped by men. Dawn and Sun, two of those gods, were in love but never destined to meet – until a providential eclipse and the intercession of the Moon made it possible. From that union the nymph Albaluce was born,
whose beauty and grace prompted men to offer everything the land had available as homage, leaving it barren and desolate. Albaluce’s pain was such that from her tears, vine shoots emerged: a white grape named Erbaluce
The People
The story (the real one, this time!) of Briamara begins in 1931 when grandfather Silvio replants the old family vineyard with Erbaluce.
Granpa Silvio was among the first in 1967 to request and obtain the DOC for this native grape variety.
In 2009 the baton passed to Massimiliano and his wife Elisa, to continue with the family project now called Briamara.
The founding principle is respect for nature in order to achieve quality first in the vineyard and then in the cellar
The Wines
“Biancamano” Erbaluce di Caluso DOCG
Produced from the best Erbaluce grapes and named after a Savoia ancestor – king Umberto I – nicknamed “Il Biancamano”.
The selected bunches are soft-pressed and vinified in steel; followed by 5 months ageing on the lees.
A perfect example of Erbaluce di Caluso: flowery bouquet and a dry and fresh palate typical of the wine. Great when young, it has surprising cellaring potential
“Bric d’la Gesia” Erbaluce di Caluso DOCG
Made from a one hectare vineyard located in one of the best sites on the Cuceglio hill, grown solely with the double guyot system, selecting only the healthiest and most mature bunches.
The juice obtained from the soft pressing is then fermented at controlled temperature and aged fro 12 months in barrels previously used for Passito.
With this selection Massimiliano wants to showcase amazing ageing potential of Erbaluce, together with its finesse, complexity and unique personality.
