Pasquale Pelissero 'Crosè' Rosato, Piemonte IGT, Italy 2023

Pasquale Pelissero is a tiny, family-owned winery started in a garage by “Papa” Pasquale, one of the first producers in Neive to bottle and sell his own wines. While a conservative wine producer, Pasquale was always open to new winemaking and cellar management techniques. The vineyards are truly a treasure and are often visited by other producers from the area. The cellar sits close to the top of the Bricco San Giuliano hill, completely surrounded by Pelissero vineyards. Since the death of Pasquale in 2007, daughter Ornella has carried on the family tradition, doing everything on her own in the vineyards and cellar, her sole innovation being the acquisition of a temperature-controlled fermentation tank. Their Bricco San Giuliano Barbaresco comes from an 8-hectare parcel at about 400 meters above seal level and is aged exclusively in large botte, whereas the Dolcetto, with its plum fruit and intriguing hints of flint and smoke, is aged in stainless steel. One of the most historical and beautiful places in Neive, the winery’s annual production is only around 15,000 bottles.

The estate is a member of a newly formed consortium of Langhe producers called “Biotipicità,” founded by producers who all adhere to the “lotta integrata,” an Italian regulation governing sustainable farming methods.