Moscone

1877 — The family settles in Sant’Anna

The Moscone family moved to Località Sant’Anna in Monforte d’Alba in 1877. Giacinto Moscone, Sara Moscone’s great-grandfather, began working as a winegrower and established the family enterprise. The vineyards surrounding the historic winery at Sant’Anna remain part of the family holding.

1958 — Angelo Moscone and Terre del Barolo

Giacinto’s son Angelo developed a detailed knowledge of the best vineyard positions in Monforte d’Alba and began matching grape varieties to different soils. A Barolo enthusiast, he became one of the founding members of the Terre del Barolo cooperative in 1958.

1980 — Expansion by the second and third generations

In 1980 Angelo and his three sons—Mariano, Giacinto and Livio—began expanding the family’s vineyard holdings. They passed their viticultural knowledge to Livio’s daughter Sara and secured the opportunity for the family to cultivate vineyards within Bussia.

1990 — First investment in Bussia

The family made its first investments in Bussia in 1990. Livio Moscone acquired the initial parcels at Visette, a long, narrow ridge running parallel to Pianpolvere and Dardi before descending steeply toward a stream and woodland. Further development eventually brought the documented Bussia holding to 6.5 hectares, including approximately 1.5 hectares planted with Chardonnay.

2003 — A production winery beside Bussia

A production winery was built beside the Bussia vineyards in 2003. During this period Sara began spending time in her grandparents’ vineyards and became closely attached to outdoor life and winemaking.

2010 — Oenological consultancy

Donato Lanati began working with the Moscone family in 2010 as consulting oenologist.

2017 — Sara returns to the family business

Sara Moscone studied law and worked in a legal office before deciding to return to her family and its vineyards. She formally joined and took over the business in 2017, beginning a new phase of development. Her cousin Marco Moscone joined her, assuming responsibility for much of the estate’s agronomic work and later appearing within the team as its oenologist.

2020 — Formation of the present team

Sara and Marco assembled a young team in 2020 to take direct responsibility for vineyard work, cellar decisions, communications and the development of new products. The team’s reported average age was approximately 30, and its shared emphasis was experimentation and the construction of a contemporary identity within the established Langhe tradition.

2022 — Bussia work completed and a new winery opened

The reorganization of the Bussia vineyards was completed in 2022. In the same year, construction finished on the new winery in La Morra. The functional, contemporary facility provides large winemaking rooms as well as dedicated reception, tasting and event spaces. The historic legal base remains at Sant’Anna in Monforte d’Alba, while the operational winery is in Regione Cerretto, La Morra.

Monforte d’Alba

The Monforte landscape combines vineyards facing the Alba plain with woods extending toward Alta Langa. Very steep slopes alternate with gently rolling ground; isolated hills rise abruptly, while other slopes descend toward the Tanaro valley and its wheat fields. Some of the Barolo zone’s highest hills are found here, exceeding 500 metres.

The family’s named Monforte vineyards occupy elevations from approximately 400 to 480 metres. Bric is warm, sunny and well exposed, with clay soils containing a substantial limestone component. Ghilardi forms a natural amphitheatre overlooking Monforte d’Alba; its semicircular shape shelters the vines from wind and creates a warm, dry microclimate. Miliate looks east toward Roddino and the Alta Langa hills. The steep Suria site receives its strongest sunlight in the morning and combines an easterly orientation with calcareous ground.

Bussia

The Visette section of Bussia follows a long, narrow ridge parallel to Pianpolvere and Dardi, descending steeply toward a small stream within woodland. The documented holding covers 6.5 hectares, principally between 200 and 350 metres, with south and southeast exposures. White and bluish marls contain a strong calcareous component. The highest and best-exposed part is planted to Nebbiolo for Barolo, while approximately 1.5 hectares beyond the stream were planted with Chardonnay to exploit the calcareous soils for structured, fresh white wine.

Monticello d’Alba

The Monticello vineyards lie in the Roero hills on the left bank of the Tanaro. They surround the Santuario della Madonna di Castellero and adjoin woodland. Their predominantly sandy to marl-and-sandstone soils, together with a warm and ventilated microclimate, favour ripe, aromatic fruit. The vineyard data identify an elevation of about 250 metres and south to southwest exposures, while the broader setting faces west.

The estate works a collection of small parcels that demand sustained manual attention and a regular presence among the rows. Steep sites such as Suria require particularly careful handwork. Harvesting in the documented vineyard specifications is entirely manual, and Bussia fruit is selected before vinification.

The family’s viticultural approach developed from Angelo Moscone’s practice of learning the best positions in Monforte d’Alba and matching grape varieties to individual soil types. This parcel-specific logic remains visible at Bric, where Dolcetto occupies Bric Basso and Barbera occupies Bric Alto, and in Bussia, where Nebbiolo is concentrated on the highest, best-exposed ground while Chardonnay occupies calcareous soils beyond the valley stream.

Guyot training is used in the documented Bussia and Monticello vineyard specifications. Individual technical sheets record planting densities of 4,500 vines per hectare for certain vineyards. Marco Moscone oversees much of the agronomic work, while the present team directly follows vineyard operations and adapts its decisions to the changing seasons and vintages.

Cellars

The estate retains its historic base at Sant’Anna in Monforte d’Alba. A production winery was constructed beside the Bussia vineyards in 2003. The new La Morra winery was completed in 2022 as a functional, contemporary facility with spacious winemaking areas and separate rooms for reception, tasting and events.

General cellar approach

Production is grounded in traditional methods while remaining open to contemporary techniques. The intended priorities are a clear expression of terroir, drinkability and recognizable varietal character.

Young red wines from Nebbiolo, Barbera and Dolcetto are matured in stainless-steel tanks to preserve their juicy fruit and delicate floral character. Barolo is matured in large, medium- or lightly toasted oak casks so that wood does not dominate, allowing structure and delicacy to remain in balance.

The Winetage black-label wines follow a distinct maturation regime: they are aged exclusively in new barriques or tonneaux made from selected French oak. This program is intended to support gradual development while retaining the wines’ original character and adding depth and complexity.

The Barolo Bussia process provides a documented example of the traditional red-wine method: manually harvested Nebbiolo undergoes approximately 20 days of skin contact and fermentation at about 26°C. Malolactic fermentation is completed before winter. The wine then matures for at least 30 months in 50-hL large oak casks, followed by at least 12 months in stainless steel before bottling.

Giovane Ribelle illustrates the estate’s traditional-method sparkling production. Hand-picked grapes are carefully selected and softly pressed, followed by white-wine vinification and a second fermentation in bottle. The wine matures on its lees for at least 24 months under controlled conditions and rests for several further months after disgorgement. Its dosage is Brut.