History
Francesco Clerico is the name of a man before being the name of a winery. Born in 1939 in Monforte d'Alba, he grows up in the large family farmhouse among vineyards, wheat, fruit, and truffle dogs. In the Sixties, the Langhe offer few prospects for young people, and Francesco leaves for Turin, where he becomes a city guard. However, the bond with his land remains intact, and in the early Nineties, he chooses to return to his Langhe. He restructures the winery of the farmhouse, bringing to light the stone walls from 1760, and cultivates with particular affection the Vigna Colonnello, purchased by his father Pinot in the Fifties as a gift for his wife Lide. After his passing in 2020, his wife Isa and children Giorgio and Silvia entrusted the estate to the Ceretto family.
Vineyard
In the vineyard, Francesco Clerico chooses from the beginning certified organic farming, among the first in the area. The farmhouse is located on the border between Barolo and Monforte, and the rows are distributed in some of the most important crus of the great mention Bussia. The Colonnello dominates the fraction of Bussia Soprana and extends to Monrobiolo: a small plot facing southwest, which captures the light until sunset. The approach is simple and sincere, the same one that the Ceretto family carries on today, guided by respect for the ecosystem and the health of the plant. Because, as the winery's philosophy states, the life of the vineyard is longer than that of man.
Wines
The labels of Francesco Clerico interpret the Nebbiolo of Bussia with an idea of simplicity and straightforwardness, to give voice to the grape variety and the territory. The vinifications involve long macerations and aging in large barrels and barrique, designed to accompany the tannic structure without sacrificing elegance. Alongside the Barolo, different interpretations of a hill with many shades find space for more immediate and everyday expressions. On the nose, dried rose, small red fruits, and spicy notes emerge; on the palate, the wines combine structure and finesse, halfway between the elegance of Barolo and the power of Serralunga.