Ellena Giuseppe

The estate is situated in the commune of La Morra. Its documented vineyard sites occupy elevations from 260 to 340 m above sea level and predominantly face west, with south-western aspects also present in the Nebbiolo vineyards used for Barolo.

The soils identified throughout the described holdings are calcareous and clayey. The lower vineyards at 260–280 m include the Barbera d’Alba, Nascetta and Langhe Nebbiolo plantings. The Barolo del comune di La Morra vineyards stand at 310 m, while Ascheri and Alferi reach 340 m.

Viticulture combines established local practice with selected modern measures. Pruning is kept short, and yields are deliberately restricted. Crop thinning may be repeated two or three times in a season to reach the intended production level.

Vineyard management follows integrated-agriculture principles. Synthetic inputs are limited in favour of mechanical operations and plant-protection methods with a lower environmental impact. In 2010, and again in the then-current but undated season, mating disruption was trialled in part of the vineyards to control grape moths without synthetic insecticides.

The cellar approach is centred on preserving the character of the grapes. Young wines receive gentle vinification, while Barolo undergoes long, traditional skin contact that can extend to 60 days.

Both alcoholic and malolactic fermentations rely exclusively on indigenous yeasts and bacteria. Racking is kept to a minimum, allowing sulphur-dioxide use to be reduced correspondingly.

Ageing takes place in stainless-steel tanks, French-oak casks and French-oak barriques. Before bottling, the wines undergo no chemical processing; when clarification is required, it is carried out through traditional methods.

The family describes its wines as interpretations of the grape intended to reveal its most authentic essence and as an enduring bond between the Ellena family and the surrounding hills.

In practice, that position combines respect for the harvested fruit with low-intervention cellar choices: gentle vinification, indigenous fermentations, minimal racking, restrained sulphur-dioxide use and traditional clarification. In the vineyard, established practices such as short pruning and repeated thinning coexist with integrated agriculture, mechanical work and lower-impact pest control.

The estate’s family identity rests on continuity across three generations. Its guiding idea is not tradition in isolation, but the combination of inherited knowledge and innovation, with wine understood as a connection among territory, grapes and the people who cultivate them.