Our family winery was born in Verduno, a historic commune in Barolo, 170 years ago.
Many things have changed since then, but not the basic ideals that have always guided
us, to soberly instill in our wines the soul and natural attributes of each place of origin, and every vine.
History – Passion for the wines of the Langa since 1850 | Comm. G.B Burlotto
THE BEGINNING
A story of success
in Italy before unification
Our winery carries the name of its founder, Giovan Battista Burlotto, and despite being housed in an 18th century building, it was founded in 1850, with a specific homeland: Verduno, historic village for the production of Barolo. On the facade of the winery one finds 32 medals with symbols and dates which document the pioneering production and commercial activities of the winery, as well as the notoriety in Italy of its wine during the 19th and 20th centuries.
AN EPOCHAL TRANSITION
1850: Agricultural advancements
leave space for wine
The date of 1850, present in numerous documents that we still preserve today, does not denote the start of our agricultural enterprise, but represents the moment in which a pre-existing family business, dedicated to diversified farming activities, was reoriented with conviction towards viticulture, which at the time was far from as widespread as it is today, but remained the realm of a small handful of people, with a pioneering and often visionary spirit.
THE WINERY DURING THE LIBERTY YEARS
The wines of the Cavalier “GiBi”
On the Tables of the House of Savoy
The production on which the then Cavalier “GiBi” Burlotto (later named Commendatore, with consequent updating of the company name) focused upon was that of the typical wines of Langa, which he produced with grapes from vineyards which he already owned; vineyards of great pedigree, such as Monvigliero in Verduno and Cannubi in Barolo.
The recognition as official supplier of the Royal House of Savoy,, and the bounty of awards won in the fairs and exhibitions on both sides of the Atlantic, came to affirm the formidable success of the endeavor, built through hard work, exactitude, ,savoir-faire and respect, but also the resultant great wines, universally appreciated.
THE FIGURE OF OUR FOUNDER
A consistent
path of consolidation
The historical importance of Giovan Battista Burlotto goes far beyond even that preserved in the context of his, and our, company. The period in which he moved was the one in which Barolo took its precise shape, consolidating a classic and shared expression, made up of refinement and class, quality and complexity of aromas, intensity of flavor, and longevity. “GiBi” was one of those who believed in it most sincerely and most deeply; he produced great wines and planted a seed of consistency, determination and love for the land of Langa which still bears fruit today.
VERDUNO PELAVERGA
Defense and safeguarding
of the “jewel of Verduno”
After the death of our founder, Giovan Battista, the winery passed into the hands of his son Francesco, and then again, after Francesco died prematurely, to his grandson Ignazio. Courageous and far-sighted, Ignazio found himself alone at the helm of the company navigating through the most challenging of periods, the time of war. He was the only vintner of the region who continued to produce varietal Pelaverga wine, growing grapes on his own and buying small quantities from neighboring farmers. If Verduno Pelaverga still exists, and is the luminous jewel that it is, it is decisively due to Ignazio Burlotto, who passed away in 1968, the year in which the winery passed to his daughter Marina, then only seventeen years of age.
THE WINERY IN OUR TIMES
The new generation
and current thoughts
Marina, with her husband Giuseppe Alessandria, and their children Fabio and Cristina, represent the fourth and fifth generations at the helm of our company. We continue today to produce the classic wines of the Alba Langa in the wake of a tradition, which for us is not the uncritical adoption of an archaic way of working, valid as that may be; but rather the assumption of a legacy made up of courageous and inspired choices, from which derives a responsibility that we freely take on, just as all the protagonists of the story told so far have done.
