Morra Gabriele
The full name says it all: Morra Gabriele, formerly Pautasso Vini since 1880. A Langa winery with an identity built in layers, where the present is made up of two people — Gabriele Testa (in the vineyard) and Stefano Campaniello (in the cellar) — and the past is preserved in a name that carries Gabriele's grandfather and a tradition that began more than a century ago in Pocapaglia.
The original winery belonged to the Pautassos, then purchased by Morra Gabriele, and closed in 1984, leaving the vineyards dormant. Almost thirty years later, Gabriele Testa and Stefano Campaniello meet by chance: one is a regular customer of the restaurant where the other works as front-of-house manager. One evening Stefano issues a challenge — "I bet I can guess your palate" — and wins. Gabriele tells him about his grandfather's vineyards. Stefano suggests leasing him a few rows to start making wine. That's where it all begins.
The first vintage was in 2012 with grapes from Montestefano, then the lease of six rows in Barbaresco's Ovello in 2013 — 0.3 ha facing West, at the entrance to the village. In 2014 came Fausoni di Neive, later expanded to 1.05 ha. In November 2018, 1.20 hectares of the Bernino subzone were added, also in Ovello but with an East exposure, facing Gallina and Albesani. At the end of 2021, Starderi di Neive came into play — half a hectare, 40-year-old vines, southwest exposure, first harvest in 2022. Today, the total is 3.05 hectares, all within the historic crus of Barbaresco and Neive.
The book that inspires them is The Ignorant by Étienne Davodeau: the story of a cartoonist and a biodynamic winemaker from the Loire who spend a year learning about each other's world. A hint at Gabriele and Stefano's philosophy — curiosity without dogma, craftsmanship without rhetoric, the awareness of still being in the middle of the ford and finding this to be the most interesting part of the job.
The full name says it all: Morra Gabriele, formerly Pautasso Vini since 1880. A Langa winery with an identity built in layers, where the present is made up of two people — Gabriele Testa (in the vineyard) and Stefano Campaniello (in the cellar) — and the past is preserved in a name that carries Gabriele's grandfather and a tradition that began more than a century ago in Pocapaglia.
The original winery belonged to the Pautassos, then purchased by Morra Gabriele, and closed in 1984, leaving the vineyards dormant. Almost thirty years later, Gabriele Testa and Stefano Campaniello meet by chance: one is a regular customer of the restaurant where the other works as front-of-house manager. One evening Stefano issues a challenge — "I bet I can guess your palate" — and wins. Gabriele tells him about his grandfather's vineyards. Stefano suggests leasing him a few rows to start making wine. That's where it all begins.
The first vintage was in 2012 with grapes from Montestefano, then the lease of six rows in Barbaresco's Ovello in 2013 — 0.3 ha facing West, at the entrance to the village. In 2014 came Fausoni di Neive, later expanded to 1.05 ha. In November 2018, 1.20 hectares of the Bernino subzone were added, also in Ovello but with an East exposure, facing Gallina and Albesani. At the end of 2021, Starderi di Neive came into play — half a hectare, 40-year-old vines, southwest exposure, first harvest in 2022. Today, the total is 3.05 hectares, all within the historic crus of Barbaresco and Neive.
The book that inspires them is The Ignorant by Étienne Davodeau: the story of a cartoonist and a biodynamic winemaker from the Loire who spend a year learning about each other's world. A hint at Gabriele and Stefano's philosophy — curiosity without dogma, craftsmanship without rhetoric, the awareness of still being in the middle of the ford and finding this to be the most interesting part of the job.