Renato Ratti was the right man at the right time when it comes to Piedmont wines. Thanks to his effort, tradition and historical memory have come down to us. Now his knowledge has passed to his son Pietro who continues to produce fresh Barolo, Dolcetto, Nebbiolo d’Alba and Barbera.
There is almost no doubt that Renato Ratti was, in the post-war period, a key figure for Piedmont wines with regard to cultivation and development, to the achievement of a style that, without forgetting roots and tradition, aimed at a new pleasure of drinking for consumers and – last but certainly not least – for the recovery of historical memory, aimed at creating documentation that permanently fixed facts and disseminated ideas and thoughts that would otherwise have risked being irreparably lost.
In reality, the maps of the Barolo and Barbaresco production area belonged to Ratti, certifying which areas with the highest quality potential were considered at the time, the crus which, in France, had been – appropriately – established through an official government decree. Their number has increased over time, as has the overall quality level of the denominations themselves, but the basic work was his and was pioneering. In the same way the documentation of the level of the various vintages was, a research work – based on a meticulous oral history – that described and assigned a precise classification to each year from 1868 to today. A monumental effort which, fortunately, benefited from the testimony of the living when the interviews began in the 1960s and 1970s, which would be impossible today.
As a producer, Ratti, among other things, introduced a newer, fresher, fruity and softer style in Barolo, something that can still be felt in the wines now produced by his son Pietro, a qualified winemaker, excellent as those of his father and which now they have been joined by a very pleasant Dolcetto Colombè, a smooth Nebbiolo Ochetti from the Roero district, and a Monferrato Rosso Villa Pattono that brings together varieties of international grapes and Piedmontese Barbera.
Rocche dell’Annunziata
| Appellation: | Barolo D.O.C.G. |
| Grapes: | Nebbiolo 100% |
| Acohol: | 14.5° |
