Roberto Sarotto

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Roberto Sarotto

Piemonte

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Our Story

Our story began back in 1820, when Giuseppe Sarotto, the founder of the family, arrived in Neviglie from Barbaresco.
Our family descended from him, and he was the first generation to undertake the winemaking activity, followed by his son Giovanni and then his grandson Luigi Giovanni. Production was originally limited to Dolcetto, which was traded both on the local market and exported wholesale to England.

In the early 1940s, with the advent of the Second World War and phylloxera, the sector suffered a period of recession and business came dramatically to a standstill. Angelo succeeded his father and was determined to continue the family business, tending the vineyards on his parents’ land. Thanks to the support of his wife Maria, cultivation expanded to include new grape varieties such as Moscato, Freisa and Barbera.

In 1984, Angelo’s son Roberto graduated from wine school in Alba, marking a new beginning for the winemaking activity that had come to a halt years before. Seven years later, the purchase of a 20-hectare property in Barolo was a turning point in the development of the winery, taking it into the circle of the most renowned producers in Piedmont. The expansion of the estate was just beginning. Vineyards in the most important crus in the municipality of Neive, were annexed over the next few years, adding Barbaresco to the range of wines. In the early 1990s, Roberto and his wife Aurora, pushed their ambitions even further, to the area of Gavi, where they subsequently set up a secondary winery.

Our Region

Piedmont has fostered a serious winemaking tradition since the Middle Ages. Early references to Nebbiolo wine were documented in the castle of Rivoli in 1266 and in the village of Canale in the Roero in 1303. The region’s most prized grape was also highlighted in a book of statutes in the village of La Morra in 1431, wherein a five-lire fine was imposed on anyone who cut Nebbiolo vines. Piedmont is Italy’s second largest geographical region and the country’s seventh largest wine-producing region. Approximately 45,000 hectares of Piedmont’s 25,399 square kilometers are under vine. Piemontese wine makes up 5 percent of Italy’s national production and almost 18 percent of the country’s total exports. Most of the region’s wine comes from small vineyards in which the growers also make the wine. In Barolo and Barbaresco, the region’s most revered winemaking areas, the average vineyard is only about five acres with an output of approximately 10,000 bottles a year. Situated in the northwest, Piedmont shares borders with France and Switzerland. The region’s Italian name, Piemonte, translates to foot of the mountains, which is a fitting descriptor for its subalpine location and the fact that it’s surrounded by mountains on three sides—the Alps in the north and west and the Apennines in the south. The mountains create a protective barrier around Piedmont and the sub-alpine foothills offer many sunny slopes for planting the region’s most-prized grape. While the sunniest aspects tend to be reserved for Nebbiolo, nearly all of the vineyards in Piedmont are planted on hills ranging in elevation from 150 to 450 meters above sea level. Very few (less than 5 percent) are officially classified as flat. The coolest sites are usually planted with Dolcetto, except in the hills southeast of Asti, where cooler vineyards are reserved for Moscato. Variations in soil composition, altitude, and aspect combined with the sub-mountainous landscape contribute to a range of mesoclimates throughout the region. source: SevenFiftyDaily

Our Vineyard

Our company covers an area of approximately 90 hectares, located in the most famous wine-growing areas of Piedmont: •Neviglie: winery headquarters, main cellar and vineyards (Moscato d’Asti DOCG); •Mango: vineyards (Langhe Arneis DOC and Alta Langa DOCG); •Barolo: vineyards in the San Ponzio area (Barolo DOCG); •Novello: vineyards in the Bergera-Pezzole and Pallaretta areas (Barolo DOCG); •Neive: vineyards in the Gaia Principe, Currà and San Cristoforo areas (Barbaresco DOCG); •Gavi: vineyards in the Zerbetta area (Gavi del Comune di Gavi DOCG); •Parodi Ligure: vineyards (Gavi DOCG); •San Cristoforo: secondary cellar for the vinification of Gavi DOCG and Gavi del Comune di Gavi DOCG We are convinced that good wine is born in the vineyard and evolves in the cellar, which is why one of our main priorities is to take meticulous care of the vineyards. With this in mind, the sustainability of production, understood as the harmonious establishment of the vineyards while respecting the flora and fauna, is essential. In particular, the adoption of non-invasive cultivation and treatment methods encourages the presence of wild animals and the preservation of the land’s natural resources. Sustainability means ensuring that the land continues to produce resources over time, equitably available for wine production on one hand and the maintenance of the ecosystem on the other. Tradition and technology are the backbone of our production philosophy. Although the harvesting activity continues to be carried out almost entirely by hand, the cellar is equipped with state-of-the-art technology to allow the best possible care of the wines produced. With a constant eye on the lessons of the past, we enthusiastically adopt the most innovative approaches to winemaking. Our top priority is to meet the needs of the end consumer. Thanks to our promotion of traditional methods and the use of cutting-edge equipment, our wines appeal to a wide range of customer preferences and tastes, while remaining affordable.