From our Importer: The year 2015 brought an exciting new domaine , NOAH, to our portfolio as we continued to expand our work in the Alto Piemonte. Andrea Mosca and Giovanna Pepe Diaz established NOAH, named after their son, Francesco Noah, in 2010 when, seeking to satisfy a mutual longing to work the land, they purchased 4.7 hectares of vineyards in and around the village of Brusnengo. Andrea, an architect by trade, gave up his practice as he and Giovanna committed themselves totally to their two “NOAHs”! They are currently renovating a farmhouse and cantina in Brusnengo where they will both live and produce their wines.

The NOAH project comprises vineyard sites in three distinct terroirs: Costa della Sesia, Lessona and Bramaterra, with a major emphasis on the latter appellation, a little known zone with a capacity to produce formidable wines. The name Bramaterra is believed to originate from the Italian words “bramare” which means “to long for” and “terra” meaning “the land”. A tiny appellation of approximately 28 hectares that are spread throughout several communes (Brusnengo, Masserano, Curino, Roasio, Villa del Bosco, Sostengo and Lozzolo), there are no more than a handful of producers of Bramaterra. The landscape is distinguished from that of its closest neighbor, Lessona, by its red volcanic soil known as porphyry. Like Lessona and the other exalted appellations of the Alto Piemonte, the dominant grape of Bramaterra is Nebbiolo which is leavened with a dose of Croatina and/or Vespolina, both of which can add brightness and nuance to broaden the palate. Bramaterra has a characteristic wildness and freshness with accompanying tannins that provide structure for long aging. Its neighbor, Lessona, has a markedly different profile, one of greater elegance and less brooding tannins, a difference explained by the transition to a more sandy soil composition in the Lessona district.

The NOAH estate is split between 3.5 hectares in Brusnengo which produce Bramaterra and Costa della Sesia and 1.2 hectares in Lessona. In Brusnengo, the vineyards are in two sectors: Mesola and Forte. Within Mesola there the separate lieux-dits of Diana, Mussa Alto, Mussa Basso and Nuovo Impianto which is a new planting dating from 2013, effectively re-establishing an ancient vineyard site. From these sites, the grapes harvested are used to make the Bramaterra wine. Then, there the Aina, Vallone and Carazzo parcels the grapes from which produce the Costa della Sesia wine. The latter three sites as well as the Forte lieu-dit are planted to an ancient trellising system known as “maggiorino”, wherein multiple vines are planted to the same hole and then the vines are trained high with multiple arms that produce a large canopy effect. This restrains the vigor of the vine and optimizes the light penetration.

In Lessona, the vines are planted to the Vigna del Monte site. The vines are now approximately twenty years old and the first wine to be produced as Lessona by NOAH will be from the 2014 vintage.

Andrea and Giovanna are cultivating their vineyards in a holistic manner with a firm organic bias. The first releases of NOAH wines are from the 2011 vintage – a Bramaterra and a Costa della Sesia – both of which are proudly part of our portfolio.

Andrea applies the same traditional approach to his Lessona as he does his Bramaterra, and the finished result highlights the enormous differences between these two terroirs. Lessona is an appellation of marine sands, which lend its Nebbiolo a silken elegance and a sense of refinement. Its tannins are no less significant than the Bramaterra, but they are more polite, more filigree—a firm handshake through a soft glove. One marvels at the authority and precision on display here. Notably, NOAH’s Lessona is 100% Nebbiolo, without any of the secondary varieties that frequently make appearances in these appellations.

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