Cavallotto

History

Cavallotto has been a family operation in Castiglione Falletto for several generations, with the current estate taking shape in the mid-twentieth century as the family consolidated holdings around the Bricco Boschis hill. Unlike many Barolo producers who assemble wines from scattered parcels across multiple communes, Cavallotto built its identity around one contiguous vineyard. That geographic focus has remained constant through successive generations, with brothers Olivio and Gildo Cavallotto shaping the estate's modern reputation before the following generation assumed stewardship. The producer sits firmly in the traditionalist camp of Barolo, which in practice means long macerations and extended oak aging rather than any programmatic stance, and that consistency of approach has made the wines reliable reference points for how Castiglione Falletto expresses nebbiolo.

Vineyards

Bricco Boschis is a south- to southwest-facing hillside in Castiglione Falletto, one of the central communes of the Barolo denomination. Cavallotto controls the large majority of this MGA (Menzione Geografica Aggiuntiva), which is unusual in a region where vineyard ownership tends to be fragmented. The soils are the Helvetian-era compacted marls and calcareous clays typical of Castiglione Falletto, richer and more compact than the sandier Tortonian soils found further west in La Morra or Barolo. Within Bricco Boschis, specific plots are vinified separately: Vigna San Giuseppe is the estate's most prized parcel and the source of one Riserva, while Vignolo, located just outside the Bricco Boschis boundary in a neighboring site, provides fruit for a second Riserva bottling. The estate also grows dolcetto and nebbiolo for entry-level Langhe wines. Specific details on certified organic or biodynamic status are not documented here, though the estate has long maintained a relatively conservative, non-interventionist approach to viticulture.

Winemaking

Cavallotto ferments nebbiolo with extended skin contact, typically measured in weeks rather than days, in line with the classical Barolo production model. Aging takes place in large Slavonian oak casks (botti grandi) rather than small French barriques, which means the wines pick up structure and slow oxidation without marked wood flavor. The standard Barolo Bricco Boschis spends the minimum required time in oak and bottle before release; the two Riserva bottlings, Vigna San Giuseppe and Vignolo, age considerably longer and are released well after the harvest year. The 2018 and 2019 Riservas released alongside much younger vintages illustrate how seriously the estate takes cellaring time before release. The resulting wines tend to be firm and austere in youth, with the dense, iron-edged tannins associated with Castiglione Falletto, and require patient cellaring to show their full range. The Dolcetto d'Alba Vigna Scot and Langhe Nebbiolo serve as the estate's more approachable, early-drinking tier without compromising the house style.