History
Family roots and the move from hospitality
The winery’s emblem derives from a reinterpretation of the Migliorini family coat of arms, which dates to the fifteenth century and served for centuries as the symbol of the family restaurant. It depicts two lions supporting a central shield containing another lion, with an eagle above and rays surrounding the composition.
Before entering wine production, Valentino Migliorini and his wife Jolanda owned and developed a Michelin-starred restaurant in Caorso, in the Piacenza area. In 1974, Valentino left the restaurant business to pursue wine production, purchasing a farmhouse in the Manzoni locality of Monforte d’Alba. This established Rocche dei Manzoni and began the family’s exclusive territorial commitment to Monforte d’Alba.
1974–1982: formative experiments
The estate’s first Barolo dates to 1974. In 1976, Valentino created Bricco Manzoni, combining Nebbiolo and Barbera in what was presented as the first blended wine produced in the Langhe.
In 1978, he began producing sparkling wine by the traditional method, presented as the first such production in the Langhe. In the same year he introduced small oak barrels for ageing red wines. He was the first producer to bring these small oak vessels to the Langhe, and their number soon reached approximately 300. By 1982, small oak barrels were being used throughout the estate’s vinification program.
Expansion, biodiversity and long ageing
The family’s vineyard holdings in Monforte d’Alba were assembled from land purchased during the 1970s. This territorial policy continued under Valentino’s son Rodolfo: acquisitions were considered only within the municipality of Monforte d’Alba.
In 1998, artificial nesting sites for birds and bats began to be installed in the vineyards. The measure was intended both to support local biodiversity and to encourage natural control of insects harmful to vines.
Also in 1998, the family purchased Pianpolvere Soprano in Bussia. It has subsequently been operated as an independent winery and is therefore distinct from Rocche dei Manzoni’s own production.
In 1999, Rocche dei Manzoni produced its first Barolo Riserva designed for release after ten years. The wine came from Castelletto’s Vigna Madonna Assunta La Villa, extending the estate’s early commitment to prolonged maturation.
The second generation
Rodolfo Migliorini trained through experiences abroad, encountering approaches beyond Piedmont while building on the education received from his father. He later returned to Monforte d’Alba and assumed responsibility for continuing Valentino’s work. He has led Rocche dei Manzoni since 2007, supported by his wife Roberta and a long-serving in-house team.
In 2008, Rodolfo introduced egg-shaped concrete tanks. These were added to the established use of new small oak barrels to refine the relationship between wine and wood and to pursue greater elegance and silkier texture.
Experimentation also developed through Rodolfo’s friendship with composer Ezio Bosso. After their meeting and subsequent collaboration, Bosso selected a composition for use during prolonged bottle ageing of a traditional-method sparkling wine. The resulting Door 185th project subjected bottles to musically generated vibrations for at least eight years, with exposure controlled for duration and intensity in order to influence yeast activity during refermentation.
In 2018, marking 40 years since the estate’s first traditional-method sparkling wine, the Made in Langhe mark was extended from Valentino Brut Riserva Elena to all of the estate’s traditional-method sparkling wines. Conceived by Rodolfo, the mark was intended to reinforce the wines’ connection to the Langhe.
Fifty years
On 16 September 2024, more than 1,000 guests gathered in Manzoni Soprani to celebrate the estate’s fiftieth anniversary. The event highlighted half a century of projects ranging from the first Langhe traditional-method sparkling wine to long-aged Barolo and the Door 185th musical-ageing experiment.
During the celebration, Rodolfo credited Valentino with conceiving and creating the estate, Jolanda with making Valentino’s project possible, his brother Alfonso for ideas that helped shape the present business, and Roberta for her contribution and support. He also addressed his children, Valentino and Isotta, encouraging them to pursue their own ambitions while remembering the family’s work. By this anniversary, the family-run estate comprised 50 hectares and produced approximately 250,000 bottles divided among 18 wines and two principal ranges.
Terroir
Monforte d’Alba
All 50 hectares lie within the municipality of Monforte d’Alba. The family has maintained a policy of considering new land only inside the commune. The vineyards occupy a varied hilly landscape at an average altitude of approximately 350 m above sea level. Their average vine age is 35 years.
Monforte’s elevated hills and changing slope configurations give individual vineyards distinct characters. The folds of the terrain create channels that conduct air through the vineyards, supporting healthy, vigorous growth. Differences in subsoil composition produce marked variation between sites even where vineyard practices and production principles remain consistent.
Eastern slope
The eastern side overlooks the hills of Serralunga d’Alba and is divided into two broad sectors. Castelletto and the eastern portion of Perno form the first, associated with more energetic and elegant expressions. The second begins at Ginestra and continues toward Le Coste and Ravera di Monforte. Le Coste and Ravera di Monforte are associated with elegance and minerality, while Mosconi and Ginestra produce more substantial expressions.
Western slope
The broader western side is divided into four sectors. The first runs from the western portion of Perno toward Gramolere. The second faces Bussia and includes Bussia Soprana, Pianpolvere and Dardi, associated with more austere expressions. The third includes part of Bricco San Pietro and the eastern side of San Giovanni, associated with fruitier character. The fourth takes in most of Bricco San Pietro, the western side of San Giovanni and the Manzoni Soprani vineyards, which are associated with greater structure.
Soils of the profiled sites
The individually described vineyards encompass clay-limestone soils at Bricco San Pietro and Ginestra; compact gray marl alternating with sandstone and reddish-yellow sand at Perno; clay-rich gray-blue marl at Castelletto; and calcareous-sandy soils at Mosconi. These geological differences underpin the distinct structure, aromatic character, tannin profile and ageing potential attributed to each site.
Winemaking
The vineyards are assigned to grape varieties according to site suitability, microclimate and exposure to sunlight. The estate’s cultivation program is designed to reduce substances harmful to the environment and to beneficial vineyard insects.
Practices include the elimination of pesticides and herbicides, mechanical weed control, integrated pest management, mating disruption, exclusive use of organic fertilizers, permanent or temporary vegetation between the rows, sowing mixtures of herbs and flowers, green manure and biodegradable materials. Artificial nesting places for birds and bats have been installed since 1998, supporting biodiversity while encouraging natural control of insects harmful to vines.
The average vineyard altitude is 350 m, the average vine age is 35 years, and Guyot is the estate’s training system. Nebbiolo occupies the principal Barolo sites, while Chardonnay and Pinot Nero are major components of the vineyard base dedicated to traditional-method sparkling wine. Barbera is planted at Mosconi and elsewhere, while Dolcetto and Sauvignon also appear in the estate range.
The unifying objective is respect for the land and its ecosystem. Rodolfo Migliorini summarizes the intergenerational principle as treating the land as something borrowed from one’s children.
Cellar organization
The production centre is in Manzoni Soprani, Monforte d’Alba. Its buildings contain the complete sequence from bunch selection through bottle ageing. Each operation has a designated working environment and is handled by the estate’s in-house team.
The cellar is organized vertically. Incoming grapes begin on the upper floors, where crushing takes place, then move downward through the building to the lower levels used for maturation in wood. This top-to-bottom route structures the movement of fruit and wine through the production process.
Oak and concrete
Small oak barrels have been central to red-wine production since Valentino Migliorini introduced them in 1978. Approximately 300 were accumulated within a short period, and by 1982 they were being employed throughout vinification. New small oak barrels remain a defining element of the cellar’s approach to red wines.
Rodolfo Migliorini subsequently worked to calibrate the relationship between wood and wine. In 2008, he added egg-shaped concrete tanks, seeking greater elegance and a silkier texture while retaining the estate’s established stylistic identity.
Extended bottle ageing and music
The estate has produced traditional-method sparkling wine since 1978. The Door 185th project combines prolonged bottle ageing with controlled musical vibrations. During at least eight years in bottle, the wine is exposed to a composition selected by Ezio Bosso. The musical stimulus is regulated in both duration and intensity with the aim of influencing yeast activity during refermentation.
The cellar encompasses ageing through to the bottled-wine stage and has also developed long-release formats for Barolo, including a Riserva first produced in 1999 for release after ten years.
Philosophy
Rocche dei Manzoni’s declared production philosophy combines minimal intervention in the cellar with a recognizable house style. Minimal intervention is not treated as stylistic neutrality: the estate retains long-established methods, particularly new small oak barrels for red wines, while adjusting their use to the character of the wine and supplementing them with egg-shaped concrete.
Experimentation and precision have remained central across both generations. Valentino Migliorini pursued new combinations, traditional-method sparkling wine, small oak barrels and prolonged Barolo ageing. Rodolfo has continued this approach through concrete vessels, extended bottle maturation and the controlled application of musical vibrations.
The vineyard philosophy links individual grape varieties to the positions best suited to their microclimate and sunlight. Uniform working principles are applied across sites, while differences in soil, slope and vintage are allowed to produce distinct vineyard identities.
Environmental work is guided by an intergenerational view of stewardship. The goal is to reduce harmful inputs, protect beneficial organisms, sustain biodiversity and respect the wider ecosystem. Family continuity is paired with personal freedom: Rodolfo’s message to the next generation is to pursue individual ambitions while retaining the family’s example as a point of reference.
Team continuity is another stated value. Long relationships with administrative and cellar personnel are treated as part of the business’s identity, summarized by Rodolfo’s view that people constitute the soul of the company.