# Castelletto (Poderi Gianni Gagliardo)

> Red, Barolo DOCG by [Poderi Gianni Gagliardo](https://ilvinobello.com/wineries/poderi-gianni-gagliardo.md), Barolo, Piemonte, Italy. From Il Vino Bello (https://ilvinobello.com/wines/poderi-gianni-gagliardo-castelletto).

- **Producer:** Poderi Gianni Gagliardo
- **Style:** Red
- **Denomination:** Barolo DOCG
- **Grape:** Nebbiolo
- **Cru / vineyard:** Castelletto
- **Production area:** Monforte d'Alba
- **Soil:** Clay soil with a good quantity of limestone, mostly in the upper part of the vineyard; poor in organic substance, which tends to mineralize
- **Exposure:** East
- **Harvest:** Around 9-14 October (as recorded for the 2020 and 2021 vintages)
- **Vineyard planting:** 1.72 ha at 250 m asl, 8,279 vines, clones 142-230 and Gagliardo mass selection; the Castelletto MGA totals 128 ha across 15 owners
- **Vinification:** 12-day maceration, full malolactic fermentation, aged in a 25 hL cask of mixed French and Slavonian oak, bottled July 2024
- **Last updated:** 2026-09-25


## Summary

Castelletto is an east-facing Monforte d'Alba cru at the mouth of a narrow, biodiverse valley, giving it a particularly cool microclimate with strong temperature swings; the soil stays damp long after rain, so picking dates must be chosen carefully, and the vineyard always yields very small bunches.

## Tasting notes

Ripe red fruit, pomegranate, papaya, dried fruit and lavender; spicy notes and great balance on the palate, persistent and articulated.

## Food pairings

Lasagne alla bolognese (Italy), bacon-wrapped baked meatballs (USA), Korean beef seaweed soup, Miyeok-guk (Asia).