Cantine Elvio Tintero
In 1900 a Frenchman named Pierre Tintero set out for Piedmont in search of work. He found an opportunity to do odd jobs at a small estate where widow Rosina Cortese was struggling to handle all the work herself. Pierre, called “Pietrin” by the locals, quickly became a vital part of the estate and also fell in love with the widow, whom he married two years later. The couple continued to work the vines together and bottled their own Dolcetto for the first time just as war fell in 1914. Years later their grandson would find a stash of this vintage hidden within the walls of the cellar, certainly a precaution against ransacking troops who passed through the area.
Pietrin and Rosina’s two sons, Giovanni and Carlo, eventually took over the estate and expanded it by purchasing adjacent vineyard plots. Moscato was just a tiny part of their production since it is only practical to produce it in large quantities, but after the Second World War giants Cinzano and Martini began producing the wine, so the brothers planted more of the variety to sell to these negociants while they continued bottling their still wines themselves. It was not until the 1980s that Carlo’s son Elvio began experimenting with the challenging process of frizzante wine production, allowing the family to take advantage of the grape’s special affinity to the local terroir. Elvio has now handed the reins over to the next generation, but he continues to help his son Marco and daughter-in-law Cinzia run the estate.
The commune of Mango is the heart of Moscato country, and 20 of the Tinteros’ 30 hectares are planted to this grape. Their largest parcel is in the Sorì Gramella vineyard, whose full southern exposure and gradient of more than 20% pamper the grapes with many long hours of sunshine, without even casting shadows from one row to the next as is the case in most vineyards. The resulting wine is delightfully fizzy and slightly sweet, an irresistible combination that makes it a universal favorite. Marco also maintains that same spirit in his other wines, which are all fresh, easy, and fun to drink with friends.
In 1900 a Frenchman named Pierre Tintero set out for Piedmont in search of work. He found an opportunity to do odd jobs at a small estate where widow Rosina Cortese was struggling to handle all the work herself. Pierre, called “Pietrin” by the locals, quickly became a vital part of the estate and also fell in love with the widow, whom he married two years later. The couple continued to work the vines together and bottled their own Dolcetto for the first time just as war fell in 1914. Years later their grandson would find a stash of this vintage hidden within the walls of the cellar, certainly a precaution against ransacking troops who passed through the area.
Pietrin and Rosina’s two sons, Giovanni and Carlo, eventually took over the estate and expanded it by purchasing adjacent vineyard plots. Moscato was just a tiny part of their production since it is only practical to produce it in large quantities, but after the Second World War giants Cinzano and Martini began producing the wine, so the brothers planted more of the variety to sell to these negociants while they continued bottling their still wines themselves. It was not until the 1980s that Carlo’s son Elvio began experimenting with the challenging process of frizzante wine production, allowing the family to take advantage of the grape’s special affinity to the local terroir. Elvio has now handed the reins over to the next generation, but he continues to help his son Marco and daughter-in-law Cinzia run the estate.
The commune of Mango is the heart of Moscato country, and 20 of the Tinteros’ 30 hectares are planted to this grape. Their largest parcel is in the Sorì Gramella vineyard, whose full southern exposure and gradient of more than 20% pamper the grapes with many long hours of sunshine, without even casting shadows from one row to the next as is the case in most vineyards. The resulting wine is delightfully fizzy and slightly sweet, an irresistible combination that makes it a universal favorite. Marco also maintains that same spirit in his other wines, which are all fresh, easy, and fun to drink with friends.
Technical Information
Wine | Blend | Vine Age | Soil Type | Vineyard Area* |
---|---|---|---|---|
Moscato d'Asti Sorì Gramella |
Moscato | 30 years average | Clay, Limestone with Rocks | 25 ha |
Bianco |
50% Favorita, 35% Arneis, 10% Chardonnay, 5% Moscato | 30 years average | Clay, Limestone with Rocks | 5 ha |
Rosato |
85% Barbera, 12% Arneis, 3% Moscato | 7 years average | Clay, Limestone, Tufa | 2 ha |
Rosso |
50% Barbera, 40% Dolcetto, 5% Nebbiolo, 5% Cabernet Sauvignon | 15 years average | Clay | 3.33 ha |
Langhe Favorita |
Favorita | 15 - 60 years old | Clay, Limestone with Rocks | 2 ha |
Langhe Arneis |
Arneis | 10 years average | Clay, Limestone with Rocks | 3.33 ha |
Langhe Nebbiolo |
Nebbiolo | 20 years average | Clay, Limestone | 4 ha |
Barbaresco |
Nebbiolo | Planted in 1980 and 1990 | Limestone, Blue Marl | 1 ha |
* "ha" = hectares; one hectare equals roughly two and a half acres |
VITICULTURE / VINIFICATION
• Vines are sustainably farmed, the equivalent of lutte raisonnée in France.
• All vinification in stainless steelMoscato d’Asti Sorì Gramella: • This is the only producer to bottle this striking single-vineyard, limestone amphitheater commercially • Grapes harvested and pressed, then kept in stainless steel at a low temperature to prevent fermentation • Fermentation is allowed to begin only when an order is received in order to provide the freshest wine possible • No malolactic fermentation • “Sorì” in Piedmontese indicates the south-facing slope of a hill. Gramella is the name of the area that Tintero grows his grapes.
• 120 g/L residual sugar
Bianco
• The Favorita, Arneis, and Chardonnay are fermented separately and stocked at a low temperature; vinification is continued only when an order is received in order to provide the freshest wine possible • The fermented Favorita, Arneis, and Chardonnay are blended with unfermented Moscato, and the sugar in the Moscato must sets off the second fermentation • Just before the bottling a small dose (2-3%) of finished (frizzante) Moscato is added • No malolactic fermentation • This wine is produced and bottled by vintage but due to the fact that Tintero sources his grapes from different parts of Piedmont there is no specific DOC and it is currently not permitted to display vintage on table wines of this type
Langhe Favorita:
Langhe Arneis: • Temperature-controlled fermentation lasts about 20 days • About two months on the lees
Rosso:
• This wine is produced and bottled by vintage but due to the fact that Tintero sources his grapes from different parts of Piedmont there is no specific DOC and it is currently not permitted to display vintage on table wines of this type.
• Temperature-controlled maceration lasts 3-4 days, then fermentation continues for about 15 days after the must is separated from the marc
Rosato:
• Made by direct press
• No malolactic fermentation
• This wine is produced and bottled by vintage but due to the fact that Tintero sources his grapes from different parts of Piedmont there is no specific DOC and it is currently not permitted to display vintage on table wines of this type
Barbaresco:
• Vineyards located in Neive (crus Balluri and Bricco di Neive)
• Fermented in temperature-controlled stainless steel tank for 2-3 weeks
• Aged for at least 1 year in 500-L botti (10 to 20 years old)
• Neither fined nor filtered
Langhe Nebbiolo:
• Vineyard located in the village of Veive, next to Mango, within the Alba zone
• Fermented in temperature-controlled stainless steel tank for 2-3 weeks
• Wine aged 12 months in oak (50% 225-L barrels, 50% 5-HL botti), then racked into stainless
steel before bottling
• Bottled unfiltered
General Information
- Country
- Italy
- Region
- Piedmont
- Appellation(s)
- Moscato d’Asti, Langhe
- Producer
- Marco Tintero
- Founded
- 1900
- Annual Production
- 41,000 cases
- Farming
- Sustainable
- Website
- http://www.tintero.it