Why it matters
The producer
Martinenga is not a common address. It is a single natural amphitheatre outside Barbaresco village, and it has been in the hands of one family since 1797. That is an unusually long act of concentrated stewardship for a named Piemontese cru, and everything Tenute Cisa Asinari dei Marchesi di Grésy produces traces back to that bowl of Nebbiolo on the hillside.
For most of those two hundred years, the grapes left the estate. It was Alberto di Grésy who changed the direction, beginning estate vinification in 1973 and releasing the wines under the family name. The winery sits inside Martinenga itself, so the 11 hectares of Nebbiolo that feed the three flagship Barbarescos surround the cellar on all sides.
Place and vineyards
Where the wines begin
Barbaresco is a small DOCG appellation in the Langhe, the hill country of southern Piemonte, where Nebbiolo produces the region's two most serious red wines. Barbaresco and Barolo share a grape and a latitude but sit on different soils in different valleys, and Barbaresco is typically earlier to soften, with a slightly finer tannin character than its larger neighbour.
Martinenga sits within the Barbaresco DOCG and functions as a named cru, a specific vineyard block rather than a general appellation address. Its amphitheatre form, a natural hollow that cups the winery in Nebbiolo on the slope above, concentrates solar exposure and creates a measurable microclimate within the larger zone. That physical form is what makes three separate Barbaresco labels from the same 11 hectares credible: the parcel is varied enough within itself to be read at different levels of selection.
In the cellar
Vineyards and cellar
Martinenga's Nebbiolo is farmed in the traditional Guyot-trained rows typical of Barbaresco, with vine density suited to the calcareous marl. The estate maintains an aromatic garden specifically for biodiversity: pollinating insects and natural regulation of vineyard pests, reducing pressure on the vines without the need for intervention.
All grapes from the four estates are brought to the Martinenga winery for vinification. In the cellar, the production approach combines modern temperature control with traditional ageing vessels. For the Martinenga Barbaresco, documented ageing for the 2020 vintage used a mix of new, first-use, and second-use barriques for 12 months, followed by a further 12 months in Slavonian oak casks. The Slavonian oak contributes less extractive wood character than French barriques at the same age, allowing Nebbiolo's tannin and dried rose aromatics to remain in the foreground. Camp Gros, as a Riserva, receives extended time before release. The precise ageing protocols for Gaiun are not separately documented in the available sources.
Wines to know
The range in view
The Martinenga estate label is the base Barbaresco from the full 11-hectare parcel. It is vinified from Nebbiolo grown across the amphitheatre, aged in barriques and then Slavonian oak, and released without Riserva designation. Ruby in colour, it shows the floral and fresh character of Barbaresco Nebbiolo without the weight and tannin extraction of a long-maceration traditional style. The tannins are silky at release, the finish fresh and persistent. It is the accessible tier within the range.
Camp Gros Riserva is a selection from the parcel within Martinenga that showed the most concentrated fruit and deepest colour at harvest, going back to the first bottle in 1978. As a Riserva, it requires longer ageing before release. Expect darker fruit, firmer tannins, greater mid-palate density, and a longer finish than the estate label.
A useful way in
A bottle to begin with
Start with Martinenga Barbaresco, the estate label rather than either Riserva. It is pure Nebbiolo from the full 11-hectare amphitheatre, aged in a mix of barriques and Slavonian oak, and it delivers Barbaresco's essential character without requiring patience for a Riserva to open. In the glass it gives dried rose, fresh cherry, a mid-palate with real weight, silky tannins, and a long fresh finish. The accessible tannin at release means it can be opened young but holds for a decade. It is the clearest single statement of what Martinenga produces and what the cellar does with it.