About this wine
Vineyard and terroir
The grapes grow at the top of a hill in the Tanaro Valley, in the area of Montaldo known as La Guardia.
Vinification
The fruit is harvested by hand during the first ten days of October and carefully selected. Traditional fermentation follows, with extended maceration.
Ageing
The wine matures in oak barrels for 30 months.
Tasting profile
Refined and elegant.
Label / history
The family's winemaking history is traced to Giovanni Ceste (1871–1929), a sharecropper for a local marquis who bought a farm and began growing Barbera; the account dates its beginnings to the start of the nineteenth century. His son Guido continued the business. Guido's son Franco joined him after completing his studies in Alessandria in the late 1960s. With his family's support, Franco began making wine independently in 1965 while conducting research, developing the family vineyards, acquiring land and planting new vines. He was among the first to promote the family's wines beyond Piedmont.
From the early 1990s, Ceste introduced international grape varieties while retaining Piedmont's traditional winemaking methods. Franco now works alongside his son Pierguido, and the family has recently acquired additional land.
