Cantalupo

### History Cantalupo is a family-owned estate based in Ghemme, a small appellation in the Novara hills of northern Piedmont, on the eastern bank of the Sesia river. The Arlunno family has run the property for generations, and the estate is among the most historically rooted in the zone. Ghemme itself is a DOCG of modest fame outside Italy, often overshadowed by Barolo and Barbaresco despite producing Nebbiolo of genuine character and longevity. Cantalupo has long been one of the estates most responsible for maintaining the appellation's reputation, and their single-vineyard bottlings, Collis Breclemae and Collis Carellae, represent the clearest argument for treating Ghemme as a serious address for age-worthy Nebbiolo.

### Vineyards The vineyards sit on the glacial moraines and volcanic soils characteristic of the Novara hills, a substrate quite different from the Langhe's Tortonian marls and quite different again from the sandy porphyry soils of nearby Gattinara. The combination of mineral-rich, well-drained ground and a continental climate tempered by Alpine proximity gives the Nebbiolo here a particular profile: firm tannin, pronounced acidity, and a floral lift that recalls Barolo without mimicking it. Cantalupo also works with the local Vespolina and Uva Rara grapes, which appear as blending components in the Ghemme DOCG wines. Specific hectarage and precise farming certifications are not publicly detailed in standard reference sources.

### Winemaking The Ghemme wines, especially Collis Breclemae and Collis Carellae, receive extended maceration and aging in large oak casks, following the traditional northern Piedmontese approach rather than the barrique-forward style that reshaped parts of the Langhe in the 1980s and 1990s. The result is wines that are austere in youth and slow to open. Anno Primo serves as the entry-level Ghemme DOCG bottling, offering an earlier-drinking expression of the same fruit. The Agamium bottling falls under the Colline Novaresi DOC and is a Nebbiolo-based wine with a shorter aging curve. Il Mimo is a rosato made from Nebbiolo, vinified with minimal skin contact to produce a pale, delicate style consistent with the northern Piedmontese tradition of pink Nebbiolo. Across the range, the winemaking philosophy favors restraint and longevity over immediate accessibility.