History
Family origins and the wartime interruption
The Cocito family’s earlier winery was built during the nineteenth century. Family wine production subsequently ceased because of the Second World War, although the building and its traditions remained part of Ezio Cocito’s childhood. He spent summers at his great-grandfather’s winery and, at approximately five years old, took part in a recreation of traditional barefoot grape pressing organized by his father, Ercole.
Ercole spent his final years caring for the family’s land at Baluchin. From its elevated position, he looked across Neive and played the saxophone and clarinet outdoors. The vineyard consequently carries both viticultural importance and a strong personal connection for the family.
1993–1996: from Moscato to Nebbiolo
Before 1993, the family had traditionally planted Moscato in its Neive vineyard. Ezio was uncertain that the site could produce Moscato grapes and wines at the quality level he expected. After extended discussions with his friend Giorgio Rivetti, he decided to remove the Moscato and focus his efforts on Barbaresco through Nebbiolo.
The decision to work with Nebbiolo dates to 1994. In 1996, Ezio replanted the family’s Baluchin vineyard at Bric Micca in Neive with Nebbiolo. The steep, favorably exposed site became the foundation of the renewed family project.
2000: the first Barbaresco Baluchin
The first Barbaresco Baluchin appeared in 2000. It carried an abstract, hand-drawn label created by Ezio, conceived as an unusually forward-looking design for its time. The wine project developed through the friendship and shared interests of Ezio and Giorgio Rivetti of La Spinetta and Contratto. Andrea Rivetti, Giorgio’s son and a winemaker for those two estates, subsequently supported Cocito’s production in their facilities.
Ezio’s quality principle is uncompromising: if something cannot be done properly, it should not be done. This thinking led him to concentrate on Barbaresco and to produce Baluchin only in vintages he considers exceptional.
2010 onward: Federica joins the vineyards
Federica, Ezio’s daughter, began helping in the vineyards in 2010, when she was 11. Early mornings and demanding work on one of Neive’s steepest vineyards initially made for difficult summers. Over time, the work became an important bond between father and daughter and a means for Federica to reconnect with nature.
After living abroad for ten years, Federica returned. Her homecoming inspired the name Ben Turnò, a Piedmontese expression meaning “welcome back,” for the family’s later Langhe Bianco project.
2015 onward: organic farming
All Cocito wines have been produced from entirely organically farmed vineyards since 2015. The family associates this change with the return of fireflies, butterflies, bees and ladybugs to the vineyard environment.
Terroir
Cocito’s vineyards are located in Neive in the Langhe.
Baluchin
Baluchin lies at Bric Micca at an elevation of 380 metres. It faces south to southwest and has exceptionally steep gradients of 45–55%. The exposure is considered particularly well suited to the expression of Nebbiolo. The family also identifies the vineyard as geologically distinctive, although no soil composition or geological formation is specified.
Ben Turnò
The Ben Turnò vineyard lies in Neive at 260–280 metres. It is described as one of Neive’s oldest vineyards and faces southeast and east. Its mixed planting consists predominantly of Arneis, with a small number of Chardonnay vines scattered through the vineyard.
Winemaking
The vineyards have been farmed entirely organically since 2015. The family links this approach to respect for the land and reports that fireflies, butterflies, bees and ladybugs returned after the transition.
Baluchin’s 45–55% slopes make vineyard work especially demanding. Federica’s account of joining Ezio in the vineyard emphasizes early starts and sustained physical work on the steep terrain. No certification body, certification number, soil-management program, cover-crop regime, plant-protection protocol, yield-control method or water-management system is identified.
Cocito wines are produced with support from Andrea Rivetti in the facilities used by La Spinetta and Contratto. The project follows Ezio Cocito’s principle of concentrating effort where the desired quality can be achieved; Barbaresco Baluchin is consequently made only in vintages he considers exceptional.
No single estate-wide cellar protocol is defined for the range. The production approach nevertheless combines organic fruit, controlled winery work and a willingness to omit a release when the vintage does not satisfy the project’s expectations.
Philosophy
Cocito’s philosophy centers on passion, precision and an uncompromising conception of quality. Ezio Cocito’s guiding principle is that a task should not be undertaken unless it can be done properly. His doubts about achieving the desired standard with Moscato led him to remove it from the family’s Neive vineyard and concentrate his efforts on Nebbiolo and Barbaresco. The same principle underlies the decision to produce Baluchin only in exceptional vintages.
The family seeks to express the emotions and labor invested in both vineyard and wine. Its work is also framed as a celebration of the Langhe territory and a reciprocal responsibility toward land that has given the family much. Organic farming, practiced throughout the vineyards since 2015, is part of that commitment.
The project is grounded in the relationship between father and daughter and in the friendship between Ezio Cocito and Giorgio Rivetti. Vineyard work is presented not only as production but also as a means of preserving family memory, strengthening bonds between generations and reconnecting with nature. The handmade labels extend this outlook beyond the cellar: each is Ezio’s personal interpretation of the vineyard, the wine and the family story.