Why it matters
The producer
Mario Pelassa grew up in Montà d'Alba with modest means and founded his estate in 1960 on the Roero hills where he had lived his whole life. What he built was not a single-appellation domaine but a two-territory operation: parcels in the Roero on the left bank of the Tanaro River, and a vineyard in Verduno, a village commune on the right bank where Barolo is made. Fifteen hectares span both sides.
The range follows that geography cleanly. From the Roero come a white Arneis and a Nebbiolo Riserva. From Verduno comes the San Lorenzo Barolo. Three distinct wines, two distinct territories, one estate working both.
Place and vineyards
Where the wines begin
The Tanaro River divides Piemonte's two great Nebbiolo territories. On the right bank sit the Langhe hills: Barolo, Barbaresco, and the tightly regulated village appellations within them. On the left bank sits the Roero, a softer, sandier terrain that produces Arneis whites and lighter-bodied Nebbiolo reds under its own appellation.
Verduno is a village at the northwestern edge of the Barolo zone, one of eleven communes entitled to produce Barolo. Its position and its soils, predominantly Helvetian marl and sand, push the wines toward floral aromatics and softer tannin rather than the firm, extracted profile of Serralunga d'Alba or Castiglione Falletto. A Verduno Barolo can be approached earlier than most and tends to lead with rose, violet, and delicate red fruit before earthier notes follow.
In the cellar
Vineyards and cellar
Grapes are hand-harvested and softly pressed. Before fermentation begins, grapes are picked from the bunch, a selection step that removes any damaged or underripe material and concentrates the quality of what goes into the vat. Fermentation runs at controlled temperatures to hold the fruit character intact, particularly important for Arneis, which is prone to oxidation if handled roughly.
New plantings use careful clonal selection, choosing vine material suited to the specific soil and exposure of each parcel rather than defaulting to high-yielding commercial clones. Red wines complete malolactic fermentation in wood or steel before bottling.
Wines to know
The range in view
The range divides cleanly by territory and colour.
Roero Arneis San Vito is the white wine, made from Arneis grown on the left-bank sandy soils of the Roero. Arneis is a native Piemontese grape, once close to disappearing, now the defining white of the appellation. The San Vito ages sur lie for 8 months in stainless steel and 2 months in bottle. The palate is textured and round without heaviness, with stone fruit, white blossom, and a clean, saline finish that comes from the lees contact and the cool fermentation. Annual production reaches around 35,000 bottles, making it the estate's broadest release.
A useful way in
A bottle to begin with
Start with Barolo San Lorenzo di Verduno. It is the wine that explains both the estate's geographic reach and its production philosophy in one glass. The San Lorenzo vineyard in Verduno produces a Barolo with silk-smooth tannins, a perfumed nose of rose and violet, delicate red fruit, and earthy depth, a profile shaped by Verduno's softer soils and the estate's preference for large-cask ageing over heavy new oak. It is more immediately approachable than Barolo from harder, more tannic communes, which makes it the right first encounter with both the estate and the Verduno village style. Find it alongside roasted lamb or aged Piemontese cheese.