Saturday, December 7th
4:30 - 7:00
This Saturday we are going to feature wines from one of our favorite wineries out of the Piedmont region of Italy, as we sample wines from Marziano Abbona. Best known for their flagship Dolcetto from the renowned Dogliani DOC, they also produce a wide range of other wines both unique and traditional. We'll taste one of my favorite Italian white wines in their incredible Cinerino Viognier, which is definitely one of a kind, and we'll check out a great gift for your wine loving friends and family in their powerful Barolo. Our good friend, and previous Hope Valley Wine employee Jen Salomé from The Haw River Wine Man will be here to guide us through.
"A great story starts with a memorable beginning. That of the Abbona winery is represented by the hard, brilliant work of the first Marziano Abbona and his son Celso. Forefathers of the family and founders of the core of their business, both men were stern and traditional, but courageous and progressive. Celso Abbona was among the first of his generation to believe in the potential of Dogliani and its territory and to valorize the grape variety that its hills are able to fully express: dolcetto. Together with his family, vine after vine, Celso planted the legendary vineyard Bricco Doriolo, located in Santa Lucia di Dogliani. Today, this vineyard not only embodies the historical memory of the company, but it represents one of the most prestigious crus of Dogliani. The winery’s flagship wine comes from this vineyard, named the Papà Celso in honor of this great man.
Upon the death of Celso in 1964, the winery passed on to his sons, Marziano (named after his grandfather) and Enrico Abbona. These were difficult years full of hard work. The brothers transformed the family business – a traditional farm – into a winery. They began their first bottlings of Dolcetto under the name of the family and, in the footsteps of Celso, continued to invest in the territory and vines of Dogliani.
In the beginning of the 1980s, Marziano and Enrico looked to the Langhe with renewed interest – and perhaps with a bit of a gamble. They saw a challenge. At a time when Barolo was still undiscovered, they purchased land in the hilly area of Monforte d’Alba and Novello, today known for their production of this “King of Wines.” The two brothers did not limit themselves to purchasing land; one after another, they chose the best plots in the best positions for land historically considered the most prestigious.
While the selection of their wines grew and earned important, international recognition, Mara Abbona, daughter of Marziano, entered the business in 1999. It was the same year in which Enrico Abbona sadly passed away. Marziano Abbona continued his research and purchasing of the best land in Barolo. 1996 was the first harvest of Cinerino, a Langhe DOC Bianco made from Viognier grapes. The wine was an experiment that Marziano had coveted for years, highly desired for his love of French Rhone Valley wines. The Cinerino marks a piece of the winery’s history and is set to become one of the most unique and esteemed whites of the Langhe.
By the end of the 1990s, the time was ripe to construct a new winery in the center of the vineyards that marked the history of the Abbona family. They restructured and expanded Cascina Valle dell’Olmo in Borgata San Luigi, inaugurated in 2006. The ambitious project is a large, interred winery that minimizes environmental impact, its ancient foundations a dialogue between past and present; the winery itself accommodates
all the phases of winemaking.
In 2007, the winery celebrated 30 years from the first vintage of Papà Celso. The following year, Chiara, the youngest daughter of Marziano Abbona, entered the business. The work of the new generations and their use of modern technology pushed the winery to renew its communication style, utilizing the internet and online social networks. In addition to virtual communications, the winery invests its energy and resources in hospitality and visits to the winery in order to show wine lovers the work, passion, and long tradition that almost a century of Abbona family history tells through its wines."
'Valle dell'Olmo' Favorita
Lange DOC, Italy, 2018
'Cinerino' Bianco (Viognier)
Langhe DOC, Italy, 2018
'Papà Celso' Dolcetto
Dogliani DOCG, Italy, 2017
'Rinaldi' Barbera d'Alba
Barbera d'Alba DOC, Italy, 2017
Barolo
Barolo DOCG, Italy, 2015
"A great story starts with a memorable beginning. That of the Abbona winery is represented by the hard, brilliant work of the first Marziano Abbona and his son Celso. Forefathers of the family and founders of the core of their business, both men were stern and traditional, but courageous and progressive. Celso Abbona was among the first of his generation to believe in the potential of Dogliani and its territory and to valorize the grape variety that its hills are able to fully express: dolcetto. Together with his family, vine after vine, Celso planted the legendary vineyard Bricco Doriolo, located in Santa Lucia di Dogliani. Today, this vineyard not only embodies the historical memory of the company, but it represents one of the most prestigious crus of Dogliani. The winery’s flagship wine comes from this vineyard, named the Papà Celso in honor of this great man.
Upon the death of Celso in 1964, the winery passed on to his sons, Marziano (named after his grandfather) and Enrico Abbona. These were difficult years full of hard work. The brothers transformed the family business – a traditional farm – into a winery. They began their first bottlings of Dolcetto under the name of the family and, in the footsteps of Celso, continued to invest in the territory and vines of Dogliani.
In the beginning of the 1980s, Marziano and Enrico looked to the Langhe with renewed interest – and perhaps with a bit of a gamble. They saw a challenge. At a time when Barolo was still undiscovered, they purchased land in the hilly area of Monforte d’Alba and Novello, today known for their production of this “King of Wines.” The two brothers did not limit themselves to purchasing land; one after another, they chose the best plots in the best positions for land historically considered the most prestigious.
While the selection of their wines grew and earned important, international recognition, Mara Abbona, daughter of Marziano, entered the business in 1999. It was the same year in which Enrico Abbona sadly passed away. Marziano Abbona continued his research and purchasing of the best land in Barolo. 1996 was the first harvest of Cinerino, a Langhe DOC Bianco made from Viognier grapes. The wine was an experiment that Marziano had coveted for years, highly desired for his love of French Rhone Valley wines. The Cinerino marks a piece of the winery’s history and is set to become one of the most unique and esteemed whites of the Langhe.
By the end of the 1990s, the time was ripe to construct a new winery in the center of the vineyards that marked the history of the Abbona family. They restructured and expanded Cascina Valle dell’Olmo in Borgata San Luigi, inaugurated in 2006. The ambitious project is a large, interred winery that minimizes environmental impact, its ancient foundations a dialogue between past and present; the winery itself accommodates
all the phases of winemaking.
In 2007, the winery celebrated 30 years from the first vintage of Papà Celso. The following year, Chiara, the youngest daughter of Marziano Abbona, entered the business. The work of the new generations and their use of modern technology pushed the winery to renew its communication style, utilizing the internet and online social networks. In addition to virtual communications, the winery invests its energy and resources in hospitality and visits to the winery in order to show wine lovers the work, passion, and long tradition that almost a century of Abbona family history tells through its wines."
'Valle dell'Olmo' Favorita
Lange DOC, Italy, 2018
'Cinerino' Bianco (Viognier)
Langhe DOC, Italy, 2018
'Papà Celso' Dolcetto
Dogliani DOCG, Italy, 2017
'Rinaldi' Barbera d'Alba
Barbera d'Alba DOC, Italy, 2017
Barolo
Barolo DOCG, Italy, 2015