Giacomo Borgogno
A century ago, Giacomo Borgogno was a winery that decided to hide half of its finest Barolo Riserva wines in its cellar and not sell them for 20 years. This practice has resulted in a collection of aged wines that few other Barolo producers can match, and it continues to profoundly influence the winery's perspective on time to this day.
Located in the heart of the village of Barolo, in Via Gioberti, and featuring an underground cellar carved out of the hillside's tuff, Borgogno deliberately adheres to traditional methods. The wine undergoes a long, natural fermentation in concrete tanks without the use of selected yeasts, followed by years of aging in large Slavonian oak barrels. The vineyards are located in the Barolo area, in Madonna di Como near Alba, and in Colli Tortonesi, where the winery produces white wine from the Timorasso variety. However, the real reason people visit this place is Nebbiolo.
The history
Bartolomeo Borgogno, a farmer, established this winery in 1761. The first recorded sale took place much later, in a supply contract dated the 19th of December, 1848, in which Military Quartermaster, of the House of Savoy, selected the Giacomo Borgogno Winery to supply wine.
Through two official banquets, this name became deeply etched in the memory of Italians. In 1861, Borgogno Barolo was served at a luncheon honoring the Unification of Italy, and in 1908, this wine was served at a banquet held at Racconigi Castle in honor of Tsar Nicholas II.
Cesare Borgogno took over management in 1920 and charted a new course. He expanded the wine's reach to Argentina, the remaining regions of Europe, and the United States, and established the reserve wine stockpiling system that became a symbol of the house. Not everything was preserved intact. On the 17th of July, 1944, Wehrmacht soldiers raided the wine cellar in Barolo and stole 240 cases of 1935 vintage wine.
There is an interesting nice-to-know fact fact just after that period: In 1955, French Institut des Appellations d'Origine sued Borgogno in court, accusing Borgogno of having copied the name of the Burgundy region.
In 1967, the winery adopted the name Giacomo Borgogno & Figli. Cesare passed away the following year, and the winery was passed on to his granddaughter, Ida, and her future husband, Franco Boschis, and was later inherited by their sons, Cesare and Giorgio. In 2008, the Boschis brothers sold the winery to entrepreneur Oscar Farinetti and his family; the new owners chose to adhere to traditional methods rather than modernize the style. The deal also included the stock of old vintages that the family had accumulated over decades.
The vineyards
Borgogno farms around 52 hectares, spread over Barolo, La Morra, Alba, Castino and the Colli Tortonesi east of Asti. That spread is recent by the estate's standards. In 2015 came three hectares of Timorasso in the Tortona hills, and in 2016 fifteen hectares at Madonna di Como were added to the twenty already in hand.
Five parcels inside the commune of Barolo form the backbone: Cannubi, Liste, Fossati, Cannubi San Lorenzo and San Pietro delle Viole. Annunziata, in La Morra, sits alongside them.
Liste is the one the estate calls its most historic vineyard, first planted by Bartolomeo himself in the eighteenth century. It runs to 3.7 hectares of Nebbiolo on south-facing slopes, and 2.4 of those hectares were planted between 1946 and 1985. Old wood, in other words, feeding the Riserva.
Work in the vineyards is done without chemical fertilisers and without herbicides, with treatments kept eco-friendly. Borgogno started converting to organic farming in 2015.
The soil and terroir
The soil here in Barolo is clayey limestone marl, and in Liste in particular, calcareous marl predominates. Combined with the exposure and elevation of the Langhe hillside, this creates the classic Nebbiolo profile, which takes several years to reveal its true character.
What makes Liste special goes beyond its geological conditions. Truffle forests surround the slopes, creating a microclimate, and the wines produced here tend to have a balsamic character along with a firm tannic structure. Borgogno describes the character of Liste as vertical and austere, adding that if it were a color, it would be blue.
The wine cellar, located in the historical centre of the village, is carved into the live tuff of the hill, which helps maintain consistent temperature and humidity throughout the long aging process without the need for mechanical assistance.
Nebbiolo first, but not only
Under appellation rules, Barolo and Barbaresco at Giacomo Borgogno are 100% Nebbiolo. Several Piemontese varieties are found in the surrounding area, some of which are rare:
- Nebbiolo: For Barolo Cru and Riservas
- Barbera: For Barbera d'Alba
- Freisa: This winery describes it as the parent variety of Nebbiolo and the oldest Piemontese variety, and has intentionally included it in its lineup
- Timorasso: A white grape variety from the Colli Tortonesi
Replanting is carried out using the massal selection method, in which cuttings are taken from the vineyard's own old vines rather than purchasing clones. This helps preserve the genetic resources of the old vineyards.
The winemaking
Most wineries that removed their concrete tanks have continued to use stainless steel tanks ever since. Borgogno took the opposite approach. In 2013, the winery began using concrete exclusively again for fermentation, and in 2016, it remodeled its historic cellar and brought its oldest concrete tanks back into service.
The fermentation process is long and conducted using natural fermentation methods. Selected yeasts, enzymes, and mannoproteins are never used. The winery is quite transparent about its list of ingredients that are not added.
Aging takes place in large Slavonian oak barrels; small barriques are never used. Barolo DOCG is aged in oak barrels for at least four years before release, while the Riserva is aged for much longer. Oak barrels of this size impart almost no oak flavor, which is precisely what this winery aims for.
Following the transition to organic farming, the winery also obtained certification. It received organic certification starting with the 2019 harvest and earned Equalitas Sustainable Winery certification in 2024.
The wines and riservas
Giacomo Borgogno focuses on cultivating the oldest vines among the two Riservas wines produced from a single vineyard. Barolo Liste Riserva is produced from that vineyard, which was established in the 18th century; it features a solid structure and flavors that unfold gradually. Barolo Cannubi Riserva is produced on the Cannubi hillside. There is also the Liste Riserva collection, which brings together three distinct vintages in a single set, a concept that aligns well with the winery's philosophy, founded on the idea of comparing wines from different years side by side.
Borgogno is produced using the same large oak barrel aging method as Nebbiolo-only, as is Barbaresco Riserva, which is produced in an adjacent appellation.
Beyond Riservas, the product line becomes even more diverse. The standard Barolo DOCG is a blend of five Barolo vineyards, while single-vineyard wines such as Liste, Fossati and Cannubi are bottled separately. There is also Barbera d'Alba, Langhe Freisa, which the winery has stated it will never stop producing, and Derthona, a white wine made from Timorasso grapes grown in Colli Tortonesi.
Frequently asked questions
Can you visit Giacomo Borgogno?
Yes. The cellar at Via Gioberti 1 in Barolo runs guided tours and tastings, in open groups or privately, in Italian and English, and booking is required. There is a panoramic terrace overlooking the hills.
What is Derthona?
Derthona is the Roman name of the city of Tortona, and Borgogno uses it for its Timorasso white from the Colli Tortonesi DOC. The estate makes the comparison itself: Nebbiolo gives Barolo, Timorasso gives Derthona.
Why do old Borgogno vintages still turn up?
Because of Cesare Borgogno's holdback policy. Roughly a fifth of production in good vintages was kept back, and the resulting stock of older Barolos, from 1961 through 1990, ran to well over 100,000 bottles when the estate changed hands in 2008.
Did the Farinetti purchase change the wines?
The stated intention was to change nothing about the style. One practical change did happen: the winery stopped making wines from bought-in grapes and now works only with fruit from its own vineyards.
