Cascina La Berchialla Barbera d'Alba 'Olek Bondonio' 2021

To say that Bondonio, owner of the >200 year old family estate 'Cascina La Berchialla', is quite different from the majority of the Piedmontese wine scene is an understatement. No tasting room, no elaborate metal sculptures on the gates, no nameplate by the front door, no website, etc. at the Cascina. No, Olek (Polish mom, Italian dad) does 'it' exactly as he sees it (intense work, hands-off winemaking, minimal intervention, biodynamic principles, etc.). And although Olek comes from a family of lawyers, and is himself an award-winning skateboarder and snowboarder (even competed in the Olympics!), wine does run through his veins; great-grandfather Bondonio was one of the founders of 'Barbaresco's Corporate Wine Cellar', now known worldwide as 'Produttori del Barbaresco'. In addition, Olek is fortunate to own some of the very best 'vigneti' in Barbaresco such as Starderi, Roncagliette and Altavilla. The resulting wines are pure, old-fashioned expressions of the indigenous grapes of Piemonte. The estate was founded in 2005 and is without a doubt one to watch.