Fratelli Alessandria

### History Fratelli Alessandria is a family winery based in Verduno, a small commune at the northern edge of the Barolo zone whose name is almost synonymous with Pelaverga Piccolo, the aromatic red variety grown almost nowhere else. The Alessandria family has farmed here for several generations, and the estate has remained in family hands through the modern era of Barolo, navigating the debates between traditional and more interventionist winemaking that defined the 1980s and 1990s in the Langhe. Gian Battista Alessandria has been the figure most associated with the estate in recent decades, working with his family to maintain a portfolio that reflects Verduno's particular identity rather than chasing the profile of more celebrated Barolo communes to the south.

### Vineyards The estate's most important vineyard holding is Gramolere, a recognized MGA (Menzione Geografica Aggiuntiva) in the Monforte d'Alba commune. Gramolere sits at moderate elevation and is known for its compact, calcareous-clay soils that give Nebbiolo a firm tannic spine with good aromatic definition. The Verduno vineyards, used for Pelaverga Piccolo and other varieties, sit on lighter, sandier soils at elevations that help preserve acidity and aromatic lift, which suits the delicate, spicy character Pelaverga is prized for. Specific farming certifications for the estate are not publicly documented in detail, though the wines suggest careful, conservative viticulture.

### Winemaking Fratelli Alessandria works in a broadly traditional idiom. The Barolo Gramolere undergoes extended maceration on skins and sees aging in large Slavonian oak casks rather than small barriques, a choice consistent with the estate's orientation toward classic Barolo structure and longevity over early accessibility. The Pelaverga Speziale, the estate's signature non-Nebbiolo wine, is vinified to preserve its defining characteristics: a light ruby color, a peppery and floral nose, and a crisp, relatively low-tannin palate. It is best understood as a wine of aromatic precision rather than weight. The Barbera d'Alba and Dolcetto d'Alba are made in a straightforward, fruit-forward style intended for earlier drinking. The Langhe Nebbiolo serves as an entry point into the estate's Nebbiolo work, vinified with less extraction and shorter oak contact than the Barolo.