Vigne Marina Coppi

Agricultural roots and Fausto Coppi

Francesco Bellocchio’s family connection with Castellania predates the winery. His farming ancestors lived in these hills, where his grandfather Fausto Coppi was born in 1919 as the son of farmers. Fausto later became a celebrated cyclist, and his life created an enduring association between the family and Castellania.

Francesco grew up without having known his grandfather personally. Family memories, stories, photographs and the widespread remembrance of Fausto’s sporting career shaped his understanding of him. A childhood television broadcast shown on 2 January, the anniversary of Fausto’s death, left a particularly strong impression: the footage showed the crowds accompanying the forty-year-old cyclist to the small cemetery of San Biagio. Francesco later described his work among Castellania’s vineyards and woods as a way of renewing that intergenerational bond.

2000: return to Castellania

The winery’s immediate story began in 2000, when Francesco returned to Castellania, drawn by cycling, the natural landscape and his family’s agricultural roots. Conversations with the village’s older inhabitants helped him identify both the historic varieties and the hillside locations traditionally considered best suited to quality viticulture. His objective developed into a plan to revive activity in the small hill village and restore vineyards capable of producing high-quality fruit.

2003: creation of Vigne Marina Coppi

Vigne Marina Coppi was established in August 2003. It was conceived as a small family enterprise with only a few hectares under vine, allowing the family to cultivate its grapes directly and oversee the work closely. Historical continuity guided the varietal programme: Timorasso and Favorita among the white grapes, and Barbera, Nebbiolo and Croatina among the reds.

The project combined contemporary agronomic and winemaking knowledge with local experience. Older vineyards supplied buds for massal selection, while newer genetic and agronomic knowledge informed the choice of clones and rootstocks. The intention was to retain genetic diversity among the vines rather than rely exclusively on uniform clonal material.

2005: first harvest and family management

The first harvest took place in 2005. Francesco’s wife, Anna Manfredi, has participated since that vintage and shares responsibility for managing the enterprise. Francesco’s parents, Giovanni and Marina, also contributed their labour and experience. Francesco remained directly involved in the vineyards and cellar, while the small production—approximately 25,000 bottles annually—made close supervision of every stage possible.

The same year brought formal recognition for the principal local white variety through the introduction of Colli Tortonesi Timorasso DOC. Timorasso had previously declined after phylloxera struck the hills in the early twentieth century, when growers replaced it with more productive varieties better aligned with the markets of the time. Its disappearance was averted late in the twentieth century by propagating material from the few surviving local vines, using massal selection and replanting vineyards. Experimental vinifications revealed its quality and capacity for bottle ageing, initiating its recovery.

Development of the range

The family subsequently developed wines linked to its history and vineyards. Fausto was dedicated to Francesco’s grandfather. Marine commemorated two generations bearing the same name: Marina Coppi and her granddaughter Marina Bellocchio, who was born immediately before the first harvest. Lindin was dedicated to Linda, the family’s second daughter, while Francesca celebrated the youngest daughter and the youthful character of the enterprise. I Grop took its name from a dialect word for the large, fossil-rich calcareous formations found in its part of the hillside.

Setting and microclimate

The vineyards occupy mid-slope positions within a natural basin sheltered from cold northerly winds. The hills have a continental climate marked by pronounced temperature differences both between day and night and across the seasons. Rainfall is among the lowest in Piemonte, while maritime air reaches the area and contributes to the grapes’ natural acidity and distinctive aromatic development.

The surrounding landscape opens across the Tortonese, Novese and Alessandrina plains toward distant views of the Alps. Sunny exposure, ventilated sites and relatively poor soils are particularly important for Timorasso. The variety performs especially well above 350 metres, near the climatic limits of viticulture, although this figure describes its preferred conditions rather than a stated elevation for every estate parcel.

Geological formation and soils

The soils originated during the Serravallian and Tortonian ages. They consist of sedimentary calcareous clay marls interspersed with sandstone layers of varying importance. The grey-blue formation is identified as Marne di Sant’Agata and is composed of approximately 30% sand, 55% clay and 15% limestone. These soils are associated with aromatic finesse and elegance in the resulting wines.

Tortonian soils and their calcareous marls are particularly significant for Barbera, encouraging abundant anthocyanins and saline sensations considered valuable during wine development. Favorita is associated with the Marne Azzurre di Sant’Agata and the best-exposed positions. A small planting of Nebbiolo, including the Michet variety, is cultivated at Castellania on Tortonian Marne di Sant’Agata.

The I Grop sector is distinguished by large, fossil-rich calcareous formations embedded in the hillside. Its dialect name refers directly to these stone masses.

Plant material and vineyard design

Historical knowledge preserved by Castellania’s older residents guided the choice of varieties and sites, particularly hillsides long valued for their soils and sunny exposures. Modern agronomic and genetic knowledge is used to select suitable clones and rootstocks, but massal selection remains the preferred means of propagation. Buds are collected from old local vineyards and reproduced in nurseries from vines that have adapted to the area over decades. This retains greater genetic variability within the vineyards.

The vines are trained to Guyot, and planting density approaches 5,000 vines per hectare. Permanent or managed grassing is maintained between the rows. Short winter pruning and cluster thinning restrict the amount of fruit carried by each vine and support grape quality.

Soil and plant health

Herbicides are not used. Vegetation immediately around the vines is controlled mechanically. Chemical fertilisers are also avoided; well-matured manure supplies organic matter.

Green manuring is practised by sowing plants such as fava bean, clover and vetch between the rows, then mowing and incorporating them into the soil. These crops fix nitrogen and contribute to humus formation.

Plant protection follows integrated-pest-management principles. Treatment decisions combine appropriate strategies with increasingly reliable weather forecasts in order to minimise antiparasitic applications.

Canopy, yields and harvest

Timorasso’s long vegetative cycle demands particular attention. Green pruning opens and aerates the canopy, while cluster thinning contains yields. Its harvest may extend into early October.

All varieties are harvested only after reaching optimum maturity. The fruit undergoes careful selection and is picked by hand into crates.

Production is artisanal in scale at approximately 25,000 bottles per year. The limited volume enables the family to follow every cellar stage directly and with close attention. The overall approach combines modern vinification techniques with detailed knowledge of the vineyards and respect for the character of the fruit and growing place.

Beyond direct oversight and the use of contemporary techniques, no estate-wide specifications are given for reception, crushing, fermentation vessels, yeast selection, maceration, malolactic conversion, clarification, filtration, sulphur use or bottling protocols.

Vigne Marina Coppi’s philosophy links winegrowing to the revival of Castellania, the continuity of a farming family and the preservation of local viticultural knowledge. Francesco Bellocchio presents the project as both a personal challenge and an effort to bring renewed life to the village where his grandfather Fausto was born.

The family regards human involvement as central to the identity of the enterprise. Its few hectares and artisanal production make it possible to cultivate the grapes directly, supervise the cellar closely and maintain personal responsibility throughout the process. Quality is pursued through careful work rather than scale.

Tradition guides the choice of Timorasso, Favorita, Barbera, Nebbiolo and Croatina, while modern agronomy helps match clones and rootstocks to the sites. Massal selection provides the bridge between those positions: locally adapted old vines supply genetically varied material, while contemporary nursery and vineyard knowledge supports its propagation.

Environmental respect informs vineyard management. Mechanical weed control replaces herbicides; well-matured manure replaces chemical fertilisers; green manures build soil organic matter; and weather-informed integrated protection aims to minimise treatments. The broader objective is to allow each vine to express itself within its particular climatic and soil environment through considered decisions about planting density, training, bud load, water and mineral nutrition.

The wines are conceived as expressions of both the family’s personality and the strength of the land, combining modern methods with knowledge accumulated through direct familiarity with the vineyards.