Legendary Barolo power couple Luca Currado Vietti and Elena Penna-Currado have begun a new chapter in their winemaking careers, this time with the collaboration of their children, Michele and Giulia. A year after the longtime proprietors of Vietti left that winery, the family has established Cascina Penna-Currado, a small artisanal winery producing Barolo, Barbera, Dolcetto, Nebbiolo and Timorasso. Their first vintage is 2023.
The family sold Vietti in 2016 to American Kyle Krause and his family, with an agreement for the couple to stay on as managers for five years. But when that ended in 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic, they felt that the timing wasn’t right to leave. Instead, they resigned from Vietti in January of 2023.
“We didn’t have a plan when we left Vietti,” Penna-Currado told Wine Spectator. “We didn’t want to say anything [about the new project] because we were waiting for the printing of the labels, to see how the wines were, to be sure to have all the steps put together. We are happy to restart and be back into the wine world.”
Where Will the New Wines Be from?
The family is farming 30 acres of vines in the San Sebastiano area of the Monforte d’Alba appellation that they have leased for 25 years. “We have known this area for a long time,” said Penna-Currado. “Today, with climate change, grapes can ripen, with freshness, low alcohol, influence from [the] mountain and same soils as Barolo.” The vineyards will be farmed sustainably.
The wines are made at a historic farmhouse, now called Cascina Lazzarito, built in 1554. The couple purchased it in 2018 and have been renovating ever since. It was originally owned by the Marchesi Falletti family, then by the Opera Pia charity. “It’s a property that is always breathing history and Barolo, so there was no better place to start our new path,” said Penna-Currado.
A Dolcetto and Barbera will be released this spring, with a Langhe Nebbiolo and Timorasso to follow in autumn 2024. Three Barolos from the 2023 harvest are slated to debut in 2027. “To put together all those parcels for the ’23 harvest was not simple, but fortunately we had the help of some people to start this new project.”
The goal is to eventually reach about 6,000 cases. “We want to control every step of the process, from the vineyards to the winemaking, by ourselves.”
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