Rocche Costamagna
History
Rocche Costamagna is a historic company. On 15 May 1841, the Police Office of the Royal Military Command of the city and province of Alba granted Luigi Costamagna, son of Francesco Antonio, permission "to sell wine at retail [...] for the wine produced from the grapes of his vineyards" in La Morra. When Francesco died, his son Riccardo, a lawyer in Turin and Alba, continued to run the business with the help of his wife Maddalena. In the 1930s, after Riccardo's death, Maddalena sold the vineyards outside La Morra, but not those located in the Rocche dell'Annunziata. At the end of the 1960s, her granddaughter Claudia Ferraresi, together with her husband Giorgio Locatelli, decided to take over the reins of the family business, combining her profession as a painter with that of wine entrepreneur. Claudia Ferraresi conceived many important initiatives for the Langhe: in 1975 she created the "Ca dj'Amis", a cultural association which suggested an interpretation of Piedmont seen from different aspects: from local art to micro-history, from minorities to the food and wine culture of the Langa and the recovery of excellence as a tourist and cultural resource. It organises "Le tavole della cultura", around which events and initiatives on food and wine are organised through conferences, books and essays. Among others, the series directed by Claudia Ferraresi "Cibo di carta" and "Libri da gustare", an annual selection of twenty food and wine titles. In 1990 he founded "I Ristoranti della Tavolozza", a select group of hospitality professionals committed to food education with initiatives aimed at the public, schools and gourmet enthusiasts.
People
Since the mid-1980s, Alessandro Locatelli, Claudia Ferraresi's son, has been in charge of every aspect of management, further improving vineyard management and winemaking and taking care of sales by expanding the sales network to the four continents.
Vineyards
The beautiful Rocche dell'Annunziata vineyard is the historic core of the estate. It is the best part of this cru: the term "rocca" indicates the highest part of the hill. It is a single body of 5.20 hectares cultivated with Nebbiolo da Barolo for the production of Barolo Rocche dell'Annunziata and, only in great years and in small quantities, Barolo Bricco Francesco. Other plots on the estate are the Nassone and Pisotta vineyards located in the highest part of La Morra and some Barbera vineyards in the municipality of Verduno. In the vineyard, guided and integrated organic pest management is practiced to reduce the use of chemical products.
Wines
The wines produced by the company are an expression of the territory: Barolo, Barolo Rocche dell'Annunziata, Barolo Riserva Bricco Francesco, Langhe Nebbiolo, Barbera d'Alba, Dolcetto d'Alba, Langhe Arneis and Barolo Chinato.
