Lombardy’s Conte Vistarino Adds Still Pinot Noirs To The Region’s Historic Reputation For Sparkling Wines

The wines of Oltrepò Pavese in Lombardy have nothing like the reputation of neighbors Tuscany and Piedmont, known instead mostly for sparkling wines made from Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio or Pinot Bianco. Other varietals like Bonarda and Croatina are less well known, often produced in bulk. But there are some innovators in the region, not least Conte Vistarino, whose founder Count Augusto Giorgi di Vistarino was the first to plant French cuttings of Pinot Noir (or Pinot Nero) in the region as of 1850 and spurred the production of sparkling wines in the French champenoise method. His family descendants have maintained the estate near Pavia and enlarged to 826 hectares, and today, under Ottavia Giorgi Vistarino, the winery Conte Vistarino, has become one of the standard bearers among her colleagues for the innovations both in the vineyards and the winery itself, including an impressive tasting room and opportunities to take guided tours of the area and a visit to the estate’s museum.

I interviewed Vistarino about the commitment to Pinot Noir as a varietal on which Oltrepò Pavese can build its reputation.

Your ancestors have always promoted the virtues of Pinot Noir. What do you like about the grape you don’t find in Italian varietals?

Pinot Noir makes everyone agree on its peculiarities, especially the great wine producers who are fascinated by this vine. The refinement of the tannins and the fragility of the fabric, recall the most precious fabrics not for their thickness but for their delicacy. Pinot Noir has that typical characteristic of “less is more” that fascinates those looking for extreme elegance, not to mention drinkability or that continuous invitation to drink and taste again due to its grace. In Italy, vines such as Nebbiolo and Nerello Mascalese recall these characteristics, making the most demanding palates agree.

I love wine in all its expressions because I’m curious, but I feel more at ease and more satisfied when I drink both sparkling and red Pinot Noir. Of the blanc de noir I love the acidic edge and of the second ones the delicacy of entry on the palate with the immensity that opens immediately after the first sip.

You still make sparkling wine with Pinot Noir using the classic Champagne method. Do you also use Chardonnay in the wine?

At the moment we produce four Classic Method Labels, two of them are 100% Pinot Noir, the other two are a bland of 85% Pinot Noir and 15% Chardonnay. That little percentage helps to mitigate the great freshness and acidity of the Pinot Noir, and give us very appreciated wines.

You’ve said that the changes you’ve made are based on what you perceived to be how “the market evolved beginning in the late 1980s.” What happened?

In the 1980s my family business was selling our wine to the biggest players of the Italian sparkling wine industry. Considering the renowned quality of our land for Pinot Noir, I decided to produce our own wine under our name. The change was difficult because it was, first of all, a cultural change and our job is much more complex now, but I am sure that we made the right decision, and we are proud to represent our land and our history around the world.

What is the composition of the soils and terroir that make it similar to that in French vineyards making Pinot Noir?

Oltrepò Pavese is on the same parallel as Burgundy, we have the same calcareous and clay soil and the same climate, with cold winters, hot summers and big temperature shifts. With more than 3,000 hectares dedicated to Pinot Noir (out of the total 13.500), Oltrepò Pavese is the third largest area in the world, after Burgundy and Champagne, for Pinot Noir’s production.

Tell us about your new wine cellar.

The cellar, finished in 2017, was a big challenge because we decide to renovate an old existing building instead of building something new.

We worked as a team with a prestigious expert in wine cellars and the Milanese Studio of the architect Andrea Borri. We worked months to integrate the specific needs of the production process to existing walls and history and do it with style.

The surface covers 3,000 sqm on 4 floors; here grapes move exclusively by gravity. We also invested in technology for some strategic machines of the cellar such as the Optic tool for the selection of the grapes or the grape pressing machine that’s very important to treat well the delicate Pinot Noir grape. Here we process the 95% Pinot Noir, both for red and white vinification, as well as for the sparkling wine bases. That’s why we renamed the cellar “The House of Pinot Noir.”

You keep your old vintages in what you call the infernotto. How have to found older vintages to mature and evolve?

In general the three Crus (Pernice, Bertone and Tavernetto) evolve very well and we can drink excellent bottles that have more than 10 years of age. As always it depends on the vintage. Recently we had a vertical tasting of Pernice, and we opened a bottled of 2010; we were all surprised by the freshness of that wine. Of course, the aroma had evolved: berries but also a balsamic notes, maybe also mushrooms and leather.

What technological changes have you made in the cellar to keep ideal conditions and battle climate change?

In the cellar we studied a system of currents that refreshes during the summer time, but the deep old walls of the building create a first important barrier to heat. We also collect rainfall and we use it for the cleaning of the cellar. However, we deal with climate change mostly in the vineyard: because to make good wine you need first of all a good and healthy fruit. In the vineyard we make practically no use of chemical fertilizers, preferring the implementation of agronomic practices aimed at preventing and countering atmospheric events or bacterial attack. In the last years we anticipated the harvest to mid August.

You make several Pinot Noirs. Can you describe the differences among the labels Pernice, Bertone and Tavernetto (all current 2019 vintages $69)?

Bertone is probably the most elegant, refined, mellow and smooth. The altitude and the woods that protect that little terroir help the freshness and acidy of this wine. Tavernetto has more structure, more evident tannins and pleasant aromas. Here we use a bigger percentage of new barrels, so the wine is less complex but very attractive. Pernice needs more time in the bottle. The color is an intense dark red, it has a complex, broad fragrance with aromas of violet and red berries and is the wine that mostly represents our terroir identity.

What wines do you make from traditional grapes like Barbera and Croatina?

Yes, the fizzy red Bonarda (from a Croatina variety), and Costiolo (or Sangue di Giuda, “Judas’s Blood”), a blend of three traditional grapes: The name of this wine, according to an old legend, tells that Judas, repentant over having betrayed Jesus, was forgiven and resurrected in the Oltrepò where he performed the miracle of healing the local vines affected by an illness. This is sweet wine that pairs well with spicy dishes, spicy cold cuts, dark chocolate desserts and red fruit salads.