Mauro Franchino began making his wines in 1962 and today he remains a stalwart of beautifully made, ultra-traditional Spanna (local name for Nebbiolo). The wines come from a small 3-hectare site characterised by the typical Alto Piemontese soils which are based on igneous and volcanic-derivative rock…no limestone here! The cellar is in the Centro Storico of Gattinara where fermentation is in concrete tanks and aging in large Botti.

One interesting point to make is that Gattinara is dominated by three producers who own 90% of the vineyards. The remaining 10% is exploited by small artisanal producers who distinguish themselves as a group by displaying an image of the Gattinara tower on the label. Mauro Franchino belongs to this group.