Storia
Acquisition and creation of the project
The Pianpolvere Soprano Bussia project began in 1998, when the Migliorini family purchased the historic, homonymous vineyard and its cellar in Bussia, Monforte d’Alba. Pianpolvere Soprano was subsequently managed as an independent estate rather than being absorbed into Rocche dei Manzoni.
Integrated and sustainable vineyard management formed part of the project from its beginning. Its purpose was to conserve natural resources and protect the surrounding hills. Artificial nests for birds and bats were also introduced in 1998 within the family’s broader biodiversity work.
Rodolfo Migliorini’s direction
Over the following years, Rodolfo Migliorini assumed personal responsibility for cultivating the vineyard and vinifying its grapes. He pursued Green Experience, a collective certification framework for integrated and sustainable Piedmontese winegrowing, while the independently managed estate adopted organic and biodynamic farming.
Market debut and biodynamic certification
The project developed into two Barolos from the same vineyard: Barolo Pianpolvere Soprano Bussia DOCG and Barolo Pianpolvere Soprano Bussia Riserva DOCG. The first Pianpolvere Soprano Bussia Barolo DOCG entered the market in 2016. The Riserva is reserved for the best vintages rather than being made every year.
Beginning with the 2017 harvest, Pianpolvere Soprano was identified as a certified biodynamic estate in addition to its organic management.
Terroir
Pianpolvere Soprano is a single vineyard in Bussia, within the commune of Monforte d’Alba. It belongs to the western side of Monforte, specifically the sector encompassing Bussia, Bussia Soprana, Pianpolvere and Dardi. This sector is associated with comparatively austere wines.
Monforte’s hills are distinguished by their elevation and varied topography. Individual vineyards have distinct configurations, while the course of the slopes creates channels that conduct air through the vineyards and support healthy, vigorous growth. The Pianpolvere Soprano project is conceived as the expression of this one historic site rather than as a blend of multiple vineyards.
Vinificazione
Integrated and sustainable vineyard management has been central to Pianpolvere Soprano since the project began. Rodolfo Migliorini’s stated objectives are to conserve natural resources and care for the surrounding hilly landscape.
The estate follows Green Experience, a collective certification framework created for integrated and sustainable Piedmontese wine production. Its purpose is to identify particular production practices while conserving natural resources and protecting the hills.
Pianpolvere Soprano is managed organically and biodynamically. Biodynamic certification is documented from the 2017 harvest. Artificial nests for birds and bats were introduced in 1998 within the family’s vineyard work to assist in controlling insects harmful to vines and to protect local biodiversity.
Pianpolvere Soprano includes its own cellar in Bussia and is operated as an independent winemaking entity. Rodolfo Migliorini personally oversees the vinification of the vineyard’s historic grapes as well as their cultivation.
Production is based entirely on one vineyard and is divided into two expressions: Barolo Pianpolvere Soprano Bussia DOCG and Barolo Pianpolvere Soprano Bussia Riserva DOCG. The regular Barolo first reached the market in 2016, while the Riserva is made only in vintages considered suitable for it.
Filosofia
Pianpolvere Soprano is centred on the identity of one historic Bussia vineyard. The project treats cultivation and vinification as connected responsibilities, both overseen personally by Rodolfo Migliorini.
Its environmental principles emphasize the conservation of natural resources, care for the hilly landscape and respect for the surrounding ecosystem. Integrated and sustainable management, Green Experience, organic cultivation, biodynamics and measures supporting bird and bat populations form the practical expression of those principles.
Vintage selection is also part of the approach: the Riserva is not an automatic annual release but is produced only in the best years. The stated objective is to create two Barolos with an authentic single-vineyard character.