Colli Tortonesi · Winery · Curated profile

Claudio Mariotto

Claudio Mariotto

Claudio Mariotto runs this family estate in Vho, a hamlet behind Tortona in the far southeastern corner of Piemonte. His great-grandfather Bepi founded the winery in 1921, carried on by grandfather Salvatore and father Oreste before reaching Claudio. The property farms 54 hectares between Vho and neighboring Sarezzano, at 250 to 300 meters above sea level, with pruning and leaf work that respects the vine and no chemical fertilizers or herbicides. In the early 1990s Claudio was among a handful of local growers who believed in Timorasso, a nearly abandoned local white grape, and built an age-worthy white wine around it. That grape now anchors a lineup of Derthona bottlings, several from single vineyards such as Cavallina, Pitasso and Bricco San Michele, alongside Colli Tortonesi Barbera, Freisa and Croatina reds, a sparkling wine and a sweet wine from dried grapes.

At a glance

Region
Colli Tortonesi, Piemonte, Italy
Address
Strada per Sarezzano 29, 15057 Tortona (AL)
Winemaker
Claudio Mariotto
Tours
Not listed
Tastings
Available
Wines listed
14
Website
https://www.claudiomariotto.it

Visits & tastings

Claudio Mariotto offers two tasting formats at the winery in Vho, both by reservation only.

Tastings

  • Cellar tasting · the whole production of the winery · by reservation only
  • Timorasso tasting · a selection of Timorasso wines with local cured meats and cheeses · by reservation only

Contact

Wines from Claudio Mariotto

  • Braghè: Colli Tortonesi Freisa DOC, Freisa 100%, Red. Freisa, a Piemontese grape with a history of over 500 years locally, vinified with a short maceration and aged briefly in steel and bottle.
  • Bricco San Michele: Colli Tortonesi Derthona DOC, Timorasso 100%, White. Timorasso from the estate's youngest vineyard, Bricco San Michele, aged a year on the lees and at least 12 months in bottle.
  • Cavallina: Colli Tortonesi Derthona DOC, Timorasso 100%, White. Timorasso from the Cavallina vineyard in Vho, one of the estate's older plots at about 18 to 20 years of age.
  • Derthona: Colli Tortonesi Derthona DOC, Timorasso 100%, White. A selection of Claudio's best Timorasso grapes across the estate's vineyards, the entry point into the Derthona range.
  • Graia: Vino Spumante di Qualità, Timorasso 50%, Cortese 50%, Sparkling. A Metodo Classico sparkling wine of Timorasso and Cortese, aged at least 30 months on the lees.
  • Happy End: Vino da uve appassite, Moscato 100%, Sweet. A sweet wine from dried Moscato grapes, aged 6 months in new 500-liter barrels.
  • L'Imbevibile: Colli Tortonesi Derthona DOC, Timorasso 100%, White. Timorasso macerated on the skins for about 15 days and aged in amphora, from a selection of the Bricco San Michele vineyard.
  • L'Indagato: Mosto Parzialmente Fermentato, Moscato 100%, Sweet. A partially fermented, lightly sparkling Moscato whose natural sweetness comes from stopping fermentation early by controlling temperature.
  • Monleale: Colli Tortonesi Barbera DOC, Barbera 100%, Red. A Barbera meant to express the shared identity of the Colli Tortonesi, aged in alternating new and once-used 500-liter barrels.
  • Montemirano: Colli Tortonesi Croatina DOC, Croatina 100%, Red. The estate's ageworthy Croatina, from vineyards in the municipality of Sarezzano, aged over a year in barrel before bottling.
  • Pitasso: Colli Tortonesi Derthona DOC, Timorasso 100%, White. The estate's historic Timorasso label, from the Pitasso vineyard, produced for about 25 years now.
  • Poggio del Rosso: Colli Tortonesi Barbera DOC, Barbera 100%, Red. Dedicated to Claudio's father, known as 'il Rosso', from the historic Barbera vineyard beside the winery, aged 12 months in oak and 24 months in bottle.
  • Territorio: Colli Tortonesi Barbera DOC, Barbera 100%, Red. The estate's steel-aged Barbera, from vineyards between Vho and Sarezzano, aged 12 months in steel tanks and at least 6 months in bottle.
  • Vho: Colli Tortonesi Barbera DOC, Barbera 100%, Red. A selection of Barbera aged in second-passage oak, a step up in structure from the estate's steel-aged Territorio.