The Cantalupo winery’s success is built on the family’s preceding generations who toiled as grape growers in Ghemme as the Arlunno family have lived and farmed here for 500 years. In the past, only small batches of wine were made for family and friends, in cellars in the town itself. With the promotion of Ghemme to DOC status in 1969, a larger winery was built. The then-new cellar was constructed by digging into the hillside and then returning the soil above the winery.
Even more importantly, in the 1990s, the company gradually expanded its vineyards within the denomination. As a result, today, it can draw on 35 hectares of vineyard. These are located at an elevation of 380–400 m, facing south and southwest. In the past, the vines had been trained with the traditional quadretto system, elsewhere known as Maggiorina. They were replanted on trellises in the 1980s. As a result, the vines have now achieved a good age. While yields have dropped, as to be expected with older vines, the quality of fruit more than compensates.
The vineyards consist of many plots scattered in the midst of woods. While this is good for biodiversity, it also brings the challenges of wild animals. Wild boar and roe deer are far more abundant than in the past. The wild boar are destructive of trellising and are great diggers, while the roe deer eat foliage and fruit indiscriminately.
With its large wood casks in Slavonian oak, it might seem there is little innovation here. However, the Nebbiolo rosato, Il Mimo, suggested by consultant winemaker Donato Lanati has proved very popular. It started as a small batch back in 1992 but quickly sold out. As a result, larger volumes are now made from selections of young Nebbiolo vines or sites where fruit would not ripen sufficiently for red wine. The success of the rosé has helped to sustain the business and allowed Cantalupo to invest in the time to mature its Ghemme bottlings.
While the Ghemme DOCG regulations allow up to 15 per cent of Vespolina and/or Uva Rara in the blend, all of Cantalupo’s Ghemme wines are 100 per cent Nebbiolo. A straight Ghemme, labelled Cantalupo, is made from a selection of grapes from a number of different zones and vineyards. This wine is aged for 20-24 months in large Slavonian oak casks (15hL, 30hl and 60hL). Maceration on the skins for the Ghemme wines is between 10–15 days with frequent rack and return to promote extraction. The winemaking is supervised by Donato Lanati, a consultant of international standing.
The two principal single vineyard wines are Collis Carellae and Collis Breclemae. Grapes for the former are grown in the historical La Carella zone in soils that contain many stones but with some clay. This wine, which has been bottled separately since 1983, is aged in casks for around 30 months and is more dark-fruited. Collis Breclemae, the flagship bottling, first bottled by Alberto Arlunno in 1979, comes from a stonier vineyard named after the medieval village, which had a strategic position just north of Ghemme until it was destroyed in the Middle Ages. The wine is aged for 36 months in a cask and shows more violet and rose notes above dark plum fruit.
Cantalupo has become not only one of the largest producers in Ghemme but also one recognised for its high quality. This work is driven by two key convictions: first and foremost, the desire to create excellent wines from the winery’s own vineyards, and second, to express the winery’s connection with the history and territory of Ghemme.
Wines
Antichi Vigneti di Cantalupo Ghemme Collis Breclemae
2007 | 2013 | 2015
Antichi Vigneti di Cantalupo Ghemme Collis Carellae
2008 | 2013 | 2015