From the producer:
Intense ruby red colour with orange highlights with ageing. Fresh bouquet with
hints of rose, blackberry and blackcurrant. Soft flavour, rightly tannic, persistent and well balanced. Aged 12 months on stainless steel.
From our importer:
Since 1670, the Negro family has been cultivating vineyards in the hills of the Roero and realizing
the viticultural potential of this relatively undiscovered subregion of Piedmont. In that same year,
two of the estate’s most cherished vineyards—Perdaudin and Prachiosso—were first planted.
Boasting some of the most desirable vineyard sites in the Roero, Negro is an indisputable legend
of the area. In fact, Giovanni Negro, the estate’s proud patriarch, vinified the first dry Roero
Arneis on record in 1971. The current winemaker, Angelo Negro, produces wines exclusively from
the native grapes of the region, offering a remarkable range of Arneis and Nebbiolo, among other
varietals. The family’s sandy, fossil-laden vineyards in the village of Monteu Roero coupled with
their meticulous work in the vineyard and the cellar give rise to precise, soulful wines. Today, the
estate observes organic practices while managing a staggering 70 hectares under vine.
A land survey discovered in the archives of Monteu Roero offers evidence of more than three centuries of
history binding the Negro family to these lands. This survey attests that, in 1670, "Giovanni Dominico
Negro, son of Audino" was the owner of a farmhouse with a cellar, courtyard, and rows of vines in the
same area where the prestigious Perdaudin (“for Audino”) vineyard is located today. Here in the ancient
“Podere di Audino,” Angelo Negro, known by the diminutive “Angelin,” was born in the early twentieth
century.
The family’s original vineyard holdings were limited to two hectares, which yielded roughly 15 demijohns
of wine annually. In 1949, Angelo Negro and his wife, Gertrude Ferrero, had Giovanni, who chose to
follow in his father’s footsteps at a young age. Giovanni’s passion, tenacity, and self-sacrifice resulted in
the construction of his dream cellar, where he was ideally positioned to produce wine from the hills in
which he was born. His choice to focus on autochthonous grapes vinified according to traditional methods
along with a fierce dedication to quality rather than quantity earned impressive results. In 1971, Giovanni
Negro made history by vinifying the first dry Roero Arneis, considered by many contemporaries to be the
gold standard in all of the Langhe. In the 1980s, the wines of Negro began to gain recognition, first
throughout Italy and then at the international level. Through it all, Giovanni Negro has remained zealous
in his role as the head of the estate with his wife, Maria Elisa, and their four children, Gabriele, Angelo,
Emanuela, and Giuseppe, all of whom are enthusiastic members of the family business.
The estate encompasses 70 hectares of vineyards surrounding three properties: the ancestral Cascina
Perdaudin in Monteu Roero, the San Vittore farmhouse in Canale, and the farmhouse in the Basarin cru of
Neive. The family recently added a prestigious plot in Cascina Baudana, located in Serralunga d’Alba, to
their holdings. Despite these vast holdings, the winery averages less than 30,000 cases produced per year.
The estate also functions as a nursery, selecting the best vines to propagate by means of massal selection.
Giovanni Negro’s maternal grandfather, Giuseppe Gatti, was, in fact, regarded as a trusted source for
nursery stock. Nowadays, the family collaborates with the University of Turin on both the analysis and
selection of new Arneis clones. This critical work helps to map the genetic heritage of Arneis while
fostering both biodiversity in the vineyards and singularity in the resultant estate wines.
The Roero’s landscape and underlying soils were formed primarily by two geological events. The first
event occurred about 500,000 years ago, as the lands now known as the Roero rose from the sea to reveal
a landscape of sand, limestone, clay, and marl. Roughly 100,000 years ago, an earthquake triggered a
marked shift in the directional flow of the Tanaro River, pushing east to leave the fossil-laden soils of the
Roero dry while painting these same soils with alluvial clay and marl. Over time, the stress of these
geological events gave birth to steep, undulating hills that were and continue to be distinct from the ridges
Winery Profile
ANGELO NEGRO
of the Langhe to the south and the east. Today, the Roero is characterized by hills that form hundreds of
natural amphitheaters with optimal exposure and drainage. Negro’s vineyards are all planted in prime
positions in the heart of the appellation, where predominantly sandy soils are rich in mineral salts and
laden with marine fossils.
The Roero is recognized as the birthplace of Arneis. One of the earliest documents attesting to its
existence was written in Canale, the largest town in the Roero, in 1478. The grape was referred to as
Reneysium during these times and gradually came to be called Arneis in the nineteenth century. Many
believe the word Arneis to be related to the local dialect meaning “brat” or “rascal,” a nod to multiple
difficulties associated with farming the grape. It was traditionally co-planted with Nebbiolo and often
called Nebbiolo Bianco. Much of the twentieth century witnessed its decline, and fewer than 20 hectares
remained by the 1970s. Fortunately, many historic producers in the Langhe, including Giovanni Negro,
recognized its value and were able to rescue it from extinction. Today, the Roero is home to over 600
hectares of Arneis.
A prickly variety, Arneis must be harvested within a narrow window of ripeness lest the grape loses acidity
precipitously. When rooted in calcareous soils, Arneis can present in a flabby, even insipid manner. In the
sandy soils of the Roero, however, the grape yields aromatics like pear, tangerine, and white blossom; a
silky texture; and pleasant acidity. The family vineyard of Serra Lupini, a recognized Menzione Geografica
Aggiuntiva (MGA) or single vineyard, is the epitome of this soil type and a top site for Arneis. The vineyard
name recalls an inhabitant of the surrounding forest, foxes, here called lupini, or “little wolves.” Negro
also makes two small-scale bottlings of Arneis. Sourced from the very first vineyard planted by the family
in 1670, the eponymous Perdaudin bottling is vinified in stainless steel for seven months with frequent
batonnage, resulting in enhanced richness alongside remarkable acidity. Meanwhile, Sette Anni, meaning
“seven years,” is a happy result of the family’s decades-long experimentation with Arneis. After vinifiying
small lots from each of their Arneis vineyards in order to study the grape’s evolution in bottle, Negro
chose one of their oldest sites as the source for a wine vinified to showcase the ageworthiness of Arneis.
Sette Anni undergoes batonnage for seven months in stainless steel after which it is aged for seven years
prior to release.
Angelo Negro’s Unfiltered Bianco is a playful expression of Arneis. Several years back, The Piedmont Guy
was tasting from a tank that had not yet been filtered and was impressed by the flavor profile of the raw
wine. Racked directly from tank to bottle, this cloudy, natural wine sees no filtration, making it without
peer in Piedmont. A rare opportunity in 2020 gave rise to Unfiltered Rosso as well. In collaboration with
the winery, The Piedmont Guy released a dry Brachetto aged on the lees of Arneis and then bottled
without filtration. It is a beautifully floral and charmingly light-bodied red wine best served with a chill.
More traditionally, this aromatic red variety called Brachetto is used to make a sweet, sparkling wine, often
referred to as Birbèt in the Roero. Negro’s version of Birbèt is a perfect accompaniment to brunch as well
as dessert pairings involving fresh berries, pastry cream, and even chocolate. Not to be forgotten, the
Onorata bottling is vinified from an indigenous white variety called Favorita, which is genetically identical
to, albeit morphologically different from Vermentino. Onorata manages to be linear without sacrificing
weight, and its notes of bright stone fruit appeal to Pinot Grigio and Sauvignon Blanc lovers alike.
While Arneis accounts for 90 percent of the grapevines planted in the Roero, Nebbiolo also thrives in
these sandy, calcareous soils. Compared to the Langhe, Roero Nebbiolo offers generous red fruit and
exceptional approachability. As a result, the Angelin bottling of Nebbiolo is perfect for casual, everyday drinking. The winery’s conscious decision never to blend other red grapes into this Langhe Nebbiolo
(despite the DOC permitting this practice) makes for a gateway Nebbiolo to the more serious DOCG
wines of Roero, Barbaresco, Barolo, Gattinara, and so forth. The Prachiosso bottling is sourced from a
vineyard that predates the winery. The name Prachiosso comes from Pratum Chiusum, meaning “enclosed
meadow,” and can be traced back to the 12th century. Giovanni Negro replanted this vineyard in 1971 and
still personally tends to it. Fermented in stainless steel for up to 20 days on the skins and then aged for 20
months in French and Austrian botti, this wine is on par with many of the finest Barbaresco bottlings.
Prachiosso DOCG is a prime example of how effortlessly Nebbiolo from the sandy, fossil-laden soils of
the Roero balances elegance and approachability. Finally, Sudisfà, whose name means “satisfied,” is
vinified from 100-percent Nebbiolo as Roero Riserva DOCG and built to rival serious bottlings from
Barolo.
The Piedmont Guy recently expanded our offerings from Angelo Negro by adding Barbaresco Basarin to
the fold. After years of establishing the winery’s core identity as a producer of Roero wines, we added this
bottling from the other side of the Tanaro River because we could no longer deny its majesty. Hailing
from the village of Neive, this wine originates from a south-facing parcel in the Basarin vineyard, long
prized for wines demonstrating lush fruit and approachable structure. Vinified in a traditional style with
nearly one month of skin contact followed by 24 months in 25-hectoliter Slavonian botti, this single-
vineyard Barbaresco boasts complex balsamic and spice notes, sweet tannins, and exceptional balance.
Since 2016, Angelo Negro has been a leading member of the The Green Experience. This certifying body
was founded by Coldiretti Cuneo, whose primary objectives are the conservation of healthy soil and
biodiversity, the enhancement of unique regional production methods, and the preservation of the
UNESCO-protected hills of the Langhe, the Roero, and Monferrato. For more information, please
visit: http://www.thegreenexperience.it/
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