Monforte d’Alba:
Barolo’s Least Understood Commune

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Published: 16th April 2024

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Mark Pardoe, Wine Director

Lying at the southern end of the Barolo region, Monforte d’Alba is probably the most enigmatic of Barolo’s communes. On the one hand, it has a reputation for rich, muscular wines; on the other, it offers a wide diversity of styles.

This conundrum is revealed when looking at the map of the region. The spine of Monforte d’Alba runs from north to south, and so there are both west-facing and east-facing hillsides. This are further delineated by the predominance in each of differing soil types and a variety of transverse small valleys.

To the east of the region, the vineyards face Serralunga d’Alba from across the valley, and share much of the limestone that so distinguishes that commune. To the west, the soils are more Tortonian - that is, younger soils of sand and clay, although there is also a good deal of intermingling around their confluence. Wines of very differing styles emerge.

But Monforte d’Alba not only has two faces, but within those faces are a wide variety of aspects, slopes and elevations. The region is the most wooded and wild of all the Barolo communes and would benefit from a detailed categorisation of all its varied vineyards. The MGA system (Menzione Geografica Aggiuntiva), which came into play in 2010 throughout the Barolo region, was not as rigorously applied in Monforte d’Alba as elsewhere – for reasons that are mostly unclear, but were most probably political.

Even towards the end of the 1980s, only 199 hectares were under vine, with much of the land either abandoned, forested or used for crops. In 2022, this had grown: the surface under vine was 478 hectares. This was the biggest expansion of any of the Barolo communes, and this growth may have complicated the process.

The decision was taken locally to combine a number of historically famous vineyards into larger blocks, and this went unchallenged by the higher authorities. The commune only has ten MGA crus, (compared to, say, La Morra with 39), with Bussia or Bricco San Pietro, for example, each being the size of an individual commune like Castiglione Falletto. And so, to understand Monforte d’Alba, one also has to understand these MGAs, and the subtleties that exist within them.

Moving clockwise from the northern tip of Monforte d’Alba, the eastern side of the commune is best delineated by firstly including the MGAs of Perno, Castelletto and Gramolere. Even here there are varying expositions. Perno’s western slope’s best-known wine is probably Giuseppe Mascarello’s Santo Stefano. Here, the soil is sandy, the wines rounded and generous, whereas the steeper eastern slopes have a more compacted sandy marl known as Lequio, which is much eroded.

In Castelletto, these two soils converge and the vineyards are planted up to heights of 450m. These are some of the most elegant, individual wines of Monforte, and Mauro Veglio has vines here. On the lower slopes, the east-facing vineyards are only separated from Serralunga’s Vigna Rionda by a narrow valley.

Gramolere lies on the western side of the ridge behind Castelletto. Although the soils are similar to those of Perno, the wine is very different and lighter in style. There is a lot of woodland and only a handful of producers, one of whom is Fratelli Alessandria, of Verduno.

The southern end of the eastern side comprises Ginestra, Coste di Monforte, Mosconi and Ravera di Monforte. Ginestra is one of the great names of Monforte d’Alba. Here there is increasing influence from the Sant’Agata Fossili marls. There are some great names here: Elio Grasso and Domenico Clerico, to name just two. The latter has a brand called Pajana, which is a sub-district of Ginestra, but not necessarily made from vines growing there. The wine of that name from Renzo Seghesio is truly representative. These are fine-boned, sculpted wines, much more translucent than other examples from the eastern side.

Mosconi has been growing in reputation recently and E. Pira & Figli (Chiara Boschis) has vines here. Le Coste di Monforte is at the extreme south of the commune and is also gaining more attention having been sparsely planted previously. Ravera di Monforte (not to be confused with the Ravera of Novello and Barolo – see GD Vajra) has similarly been growing in interest, although the very sandy soils make water retention difficult.

The MGAs to the south-west of the commune are Bricco San Pietro, which adjoins Novello, and San Giovanni, at its northern border, which meets Barolo. At 380 hectares, Bricco San Pietro is the largest MGA in Barolo. Given its size, it is not surprising that it cannot be summarised by any homogenous descriptions. This, too, is growing in importance and size, but it would be fair to say that these do not have the complexity of Monforte’s best. San Giovanni is more interesting, especially where the vineyard approaches the commune of Barolo. Diego and Damiano Barale have vineyards right on the border and its wines add a crisp and fresh purity to their Classico blend.

Which leaves us to tackle the final and probably most famous piece of Monforte d’Alba’s jigsaw: Bussia. This is another huge MGA, just under 300 hectares, but has so many sub-zones and famous historical vineyards that it probably merits an article all to itself. Just listing the more renowned sub-zones gives an idea of the complexity – Bussia Sottana, Bussia Soprana, Arnulfo, Fantini, Pugnane, and so on, to which can be added famous individual vineyards, some described below.

Geographically it appears as a long tongue of west-facing vineyards, running all the way from the west of the town of Barolo to the outskirts of the town of Monforte d’Alba. Geologically, the MGA is surprisingly homogenous, being predominantly on Sant’Agata Fossili marls. It is in Bussia that the most archetypal style of Monforte is found: wines with broad shoulders, strong tannins and an earthy richness.

For simplicity it will be better to concentrate on Bussia Soprana and Bussia Sottana, and finish with Pugnane. Bussia Soprana sits four-square in the middle of the MGA, in which the great vineyards of Colonnello, Gabutti, Cicala and Romirasco can be found. It is full of famous names: Ceretto, Clerico, Aldo Conterno and many more. Giacomo Fenocchio also has a parcel at its northern end, which he uses mostly for his Bussia 90 dì Riserva. These are the quintessence of Monforte and Bussia: powerful and authoritative.

Soprana (which means “higher”) implies an advantage over Sottana (“lower”). This may once have been the case, but much less so now. The wines are different in style, with Bussia Sottana more loosely woven and the earthiness, whilst still evident, is more woodland than ferrous. The wines are softer and more open, unsurprisingly as the vineyards are now very close to the commune of Barolo. Fenocchio also has vines here, as does Fogliati.

The northernmost slice is Pugnane, the finger of Bussia that descends at the end of the northern slope, and forms a tricorn with Barolo and Castiglione Falletto. Indeed Annalisa Chiappa of Fogliati has named her Barolo Classico Treturne (three turns) in honour of the three terroirs. In fact, Pugnane straddles the boundary with Castiglione Falletto, which is where Annalisa’s vines are found. The style of wine here is again different, despite still being under the Bussia umbrella. The tannins are more velvety, the fruit more heady.

Finding one’s way through the complications of Monforte d’Alba feels like hacking one’s way through virgin rainforest. There doesn’t seem to be a clear path and even when progress is made, there remains a sense that some options and opportunities may have been overlooked. But, as a vinous explorer, you will find it worth the effort, whatever you find.