Why it matters
The producer
Antonio Viberti did not come to wine through inheritance. In 1923 he bought the Locanda del Buon Padre, an inn in Vergne on the western edge of the Barolo zone, and began making wine from its cellar. The hospitality address turned into a wine estate across three further generations without ever losing its connection to that original building.
Today Viberti Giovanni produces Barolo from three named single-vineyard sites and Barbera d'Asti Superiore under the Collejato label. Claudio Viberti, the youngest son of Giovanni and Maria, runs the cellar and the business. The fourth generation, twin brothers Jacopo and Tommaso, is already written into the estate's most visible label.
Place and vineyards
Where the wines begin
Vergne sits at the western end of the Barolo production zone in the Langhe hills of Cuneo province. Barolo DOCG covers eleven communes in this part of southern Piemonte, all built on Nebbiolo grown at altitude. The three Viberti single-vineyard parcels at Bricco delle Viole, San Pietro, and La Volta face west at between 400 and 500 metres. That altitude and aspect slow the ripening of Nebbiolo through the summer, preserving the acidity and aromatic intensity that give Barolo its long ageing arc. West-facing slopes lose the morning sun but hold afternoon warmth; vines ripen more evenly, and the fruit arrives at harvest with more natural freshness than lower, south-facing positions.
The Collejato Barbera d'Asti Superiore comes from the Monferrato hills, a different but adjacent territory to the north and east of the Langhe. Barbera d'Asti Superiore DOCG requires a minimum of one year of ageing; the Collejato goes well beyond that.
In the cellar
Vineyards and cellar
The three Barolo parcels, Bricco delle Viole, San Pietro, and La Volta, each contribute to both standard Barolo and Riserva production. Designated sections within each site are held back for the Riserva, which under Barolo DOCG law requires a minimum of five years before release. The longer period in barrel and bottle allows the tannins from Nebbiolo to knit and the wine's secondary aromas to develop.
Barolo at Viberti ages in tini, large vertical barrels made from steamed rather than toasted oak. The steaming process shapes the oak into the vertical stave form without applying the heat that toasting creates. A toasted barrel adds vanilla and caramel character from the char on the wood surface; a steamed barrel does not. The tini at Viberti are effectively neutral containers, and that neutrality keeps the Nebbiolo grape's character in the foreground rather than layering oak flavour over it.
Wines to know
The range in view
The Barolo range anchors the estate. Three single-vineyard wines, from Bricco delle Viole, San Pietro, and La Volta, each carry their individual site character into the bottle. Select parcels from all three produce Barolo Riserva, with the extended ageing regime that designation requires. Across the Barolo range, the neutral tini ageing means the Nebbiolo grape drives every bottle: the rose and tar aromas, the high natural acidity, and the firm tannins that soften over years in the glass.
Collejato Barbera d'Asti Superiore occupies a different register entirely. Barbera carries far lower tannin than Nebbiolo and considerably higher acidity; the wine is rounder and more approachable young. The twelve months on lees and the toasted oak barrel fill out the mid-palate and add a layer of spice that sits behind the grape's fruit. Barbera d'Asti Superiore is a DOCG designation requiring one year of ageing minimum; the Collejato exceeds that and comes out with more depth than the appellation floor demands.
A useful way in
A bottle to begin with
Start with the Collejato Barbera d'Asti Superiore. It is a Barbera from the Monferrato hills, fermented and then aged twelve months on lees in 1,000-litre toasted oak barrels. The nose gives dark cherry, blackberry, and violet with a quiet spice behind it. On the palate the grape's high acidity is balanced by the body that the lees contact adds, and the finish extends well past the initial impression of fruit and warmth. The toasted oak is present but not dominant; it works as a frame rather than a flavour.