Three days. Just three days mid-September in the rolling, sun-drenched hills of Monferrato – a landscape that feels like a secret kept too long from the rest of the world. I came expecting good wine, warm hospitality, maybe a few charming stories. What I found was something far more intoxicating: people. Not just winemakers, but guardians of a living heritage, bound together by a single, relentless passion – the pursuit of excellence in every vine, every harvest, every drop.
This passion is contagious. It leaps from father to son, from mother to daughter, and – astonishingly – from the Accornero family (link) to the wide-eyed visitor standing in their cellar, glass in hand. It is not shouted from rooftops. It is whispered in the rustle of old Grignolino leaves, etched into the limestone soil, and finally, triumphantly, poured into your glass.
And then… there is Bricco del Bosco (link).
Imagine this: you’re tasting your way through a thoughtful lineup – a bright, peppery Ruchè that dances on the tongue; a deep, soulful Barbera that speaks of black cherries and distant thunder; a Grignolino so vivid it feels like biting into a sun-warmed Morello cherry. All excellent. All honest. All expected in the best possible way.
Then Giulia Accornero – fifth-generation steward of the estate – places a new bottle on the table. No fanfare. Just a quiet smile. “This one,” she says, “changed everything.”
The cork pops. The wine breathes. And suddenly, you’re not in Monferrato anymore. You’re orbiting.
Bricco del Bosco is not just a wine. It is an unidentified flying object in the Piemontese sky – a Grignolino of such depth, elegance, and quiet power that it defies every stereotype of its grape. Where others are light and playful, this one is profound. Where others fade after a few years, this one begins to speak after a decade. Vinous calls it “arguably Italy’s greatest Grignolino.” I call it a revelation.
This is not the story of another famous Barolo estate. This is the story of a family who refused to chase trends, who nurtured forgotten vines, who turned a “minor” grape into a masterpiece – and who, in doing so, reminded us that genius often hides in the quietest corners.
So come with me. Let this journey stir your curiosity. Let it sharpen your senses. Let it lead you, glass by glass, to the doorstep of Tenuta Accornero (link) – and to the wine that changed a legacy.
Because some wines don’t just deserve your attention. They demand your wonder.
The Tasting
The tasting took place on the 23rd of September at the Azienda, in Vignale Monferrato. Just after Giulia explained us the family’s philosophy and showed us the superb vineyards on the slopes of Bricco del Bosco, a legendary cru since receiving glowing reviews from Vinous, among others.
Giulin 2022, Barbera del Monferrato Superiore DOCG
The estate owns 10 hectares of Barbera vineyards They were planted in 1980, 1990 and 2000. The first year of production was 1995. The yields reach 55/60 hl/ha. Aged in stainless steel and 500-litre barrels for 12 months.
One need only taste this wine to realise that its quality/price ratio defies the laws of gravity. This despite my concern about the yield. Giulia tells us that this is an excellent Barbera, but a second-rate one. I conclude that, ultimately, the second growths of Bordeaux are also remarkable. And everything confirms this reflection: the nose is beguiling, expressive, elegant, refined, deep, extremely harmonious, pure and precise, literally like work done with graph paper. The glass gives off seductive scents of red and black fruits, juicy cherries, liquorice, black pepper and other spices, not to mention a touch of violet. You willingly return to it and discover an exciting complexity, with hints of raspberries appearing… The boutique wine shop CAVE of the extraordinary taster Jacques Perrin writes on his website, ‘Giulin by Ermanno Accornero is a bit like the meeting of a Barbera vintage from Monferrato and a great winemaker’… Full-bodied, juicy, yet harmonious, pure and precise on the palate, with a powerful yet elegant, velvety but straightforward structure. The winemaker’s uncompromising approach produces a highly enjoyable result. The acidity is perfectly integrated, and the finish is very long and subtly salty. Giulia concludes the tasting of this wine with the remark that it can age for 25 to 30 years. 17.5-17.75/20 (91-92/100).
Bricco del Bosco Vigne Vecchie Riserva 2019, Grignolino del Monferrato Casalese DOC
A wine that gradually commands respect. The combination of a grape variety that is currently unfairly underrated, an exceptional terroir and a winegrower who knows how to use his sensitivity and skills to enhance what he vinifies. This Vigne Vecchie illustrates this perfectly. A nose of rare complexity, which you return to again and again in search of new scents. Dried flowers, jam made from wild red and black berries, balsamic notes, Morello cherries, crushed rose petal perfectly integrated 14.5% alcohol, a few captivating hints of eucalyptus, not to mention spicy notes, particularly pepper. An enchanting nose that promises so much. Lucky are those who will be able to enjoy this wine over the next twenty years and probably much longer. The palate is on the same level, and too bad for the journalists who won’t have the chance to wait a few years before tasting this wine. Full-bodied, firm, juicy, complex, profound, refined palate with its own grandiloquent personality, admirably pure and precise, with great freshness, the aromas confirm those of the bouquet, the tannins are refined and dense, delivering plenty of substance and a solid, very pleasant, strongly mineral structure, nothing is superfluous or overpowering. Right up to the very long finish smelling cherry-stone and wet slate, it is perfect for captivating us. The lovely lunch provided by the Accornero family gave us the opportunity to taste all the wines again. Nonetheless, this specific wine was also tasted again in a private setting. 18.5/20 (95/100).
Vinous rates this wine with 96/100 and writes “Arguably Italy’s greatest Grignolino”. Furthermore, it rates the vintages 2016 with 94/100.
Daniele Cernilli, Doctor Wine rates the vintages 2016, 2017 and 2019 with 96/100, 2020 with 95/100. Bibenda awards the vintages 2014, 2015, 2017 and 2020 with Cinque Grappoli. James Suckling awards the vintage 2018 with 92/100. Gambero Rosso awards the vintages 2015 and 2021 with Tre Bicchieri.
This wine costs € 45 up to 50.-.
