Fabio Gea

Nòtu seguiva le gocce d'acqua…

Fabio Gea, a geologist by training, is definitely an unusual winemaker in many ways. Nestled in the hills near Barbaresco, in Piedmont, where he took over the family vineyards, carefully selected by his grandfather, Nòtu, Fabio is dedicated to extremely precise viticulture, having selected plants from all over the region, like his grandfather before him. Today he boasts a massal selection of almost 15 varieties of Nebbiolo, on just under 2 hectares of vines.

Back in the days, the vineyards of Piedmont were planted with nearly 200 different varieties, hard to imagine from a region that today worships almost only Nebbiolo, the spearhead of appellations such as Barolo or Barbaresco. The survivors of this rich diversity, Barbera, Dolcetto, Grignolino... are all cultivated by Fabio and put forward in his own cuvées or in blends.

The vines are mostly planted with other plants and fruit trees to enhance biodiversity and Fabio barely treats the vines, with very low doses of sulphur and copper, and some herbal remedies.

The Barbaresco region is often associated with excessive and uninteresting use of wood. Fabio, on the other hand, is developing his own style, notably with the experimental use of jars, amphorae or eggs, made of porcelain, stoneware or terracotta, for the maturing and ageing of the wines, in the purest respect of the path traced by his grandfather.

In the cellar, Fabio seeks to maximise the impact of the different energies during fermentation and ageing, using wood only when appropriate, and mainly for the appellation wines, in accordance with the Barbaresco specifications. The result is undeniable, the wines are lively, with a touch and vivacity that is rare enough, especially in the region and for these grapes, and this is true throughout the range, from the more vibrant and fresh Grignolino to the more serious Nebbiolo.

The final touch, the bottles specially collected by Fabio, the handmade paper and the labels, hand-numbered in pencil. These are resolutely elegant, light wines that invite you to meditate on Fabio's beautiful "follies".