Ca'D'Gal

Sandro Boido is Moscato’s answer to grower Burgundy or grower Champagne, setting the level high with zero compromises in the vines and the cellar. He works with the same principles as the best growers anywhere, and as a result the wines he produces redefine what is possible in his region. In short, Boido’s approach delivers wines with the depth of character, class and somewhereness that we have not seen before with Moscato

Boido’s estate is tucked up in the Valdivilla hills, about 15 kilometres west of Barbaresco and in the commune of Santo Stefano Belbo. Surrounding the Ca’ d’Gal farmhouse lies the Estate’s 6.5-hectare amphitheatre of sandy, calcareous slopes. These sand-rich slopes are prized for complexing Moscato’s heady perfume and have become regarded as one of Moscato d’Asti’s blue-ribboned terroirs. It’s no surprise then that this commune is home to the highest concentration of Moscato vines in Piemonte – almost all the vineyards are planted with this variety. In the Ca’ d’Gal vineyards there is also a prized plot of old, pre-clonal, 55-year-old vines where the soil strays into seams of limestone-rich blue tufa. The fruit from these vines is bottled separately. It’s a complex, frothy testament to Moscato, the landscape and the people who make this special place work.

No one does Moscato like the top growers of Piemonte, and few of those can match the intensity, purity and complexity—and certainly the expression of place—of Ca’ d’Gal.

In line with many of Europe’s finest growers, Boido has eliminated herbicides and pesticides in the vineyard, and he also crops Ca’ d’Gal’s Moscato vines at yields that are well below the permitted norm (circa 100 hl/ha). In fact, yields for the Lumine bottling are around the same as a conscientious Champagne grower’s and dip towards 40 hl/ha (i.e., just above Grand Cru Burgundy levels) for the old vines cuvée. Another key to Boido’s game-changing, aromatically complex wines is his no-holds-barred approach to grape ripeness. Against the fashion, Boido crafts his wines from well-ripened grapes picked “yellow like polenta”, like in the old days (as opposed to the half-green fruit that goes to supply much of the commercial Moscato d’Asti for the international market). That he manages to work with super-ripe fruit without loss of acidity and freshness is a testament to the health of his vines, the low yields with which he works, and the fact that he hand harvests. The wines are also vinified using spontaneous ferments (a rarity these days) in closed vats with extended lees contact, and, in another statement of intent, Boido only bottles in full bottles—half bottles compromise quality and so they are refused (no half measures here!)

Having worked for many years with small-batch Moscato from Massolino and Albino Rocca, we don’t need to remind our clients that there is an alternate type of Moscato out there, one with an artisanal quality that delivers the depth of character and sense of place typically missing from their mass-market counterparts. With busy hands and a warm heart, Alessandro Boido is making some of Moscato’s most serious examples. Perhaps ‘serious’ is the wrong word to use, but we think you’ll know what we mean; these are abundantly juicy, aromatically pristine wines full of fruity swells, mouth-watering personality and seldom seen savoury depths.