Ca’ di Press is a small, artisanal winery in the hills just north of the hamlet of Perno in the very north of the Monforte d’Alba commune. Perno is in the very north of Monforte d’Alba near Castiglione Falletto. The Ca’ di Press winery is just ¼ of a mile across the valley from the Roagna winery at Pira, both wineries visible from each other across the valley. Press is short for Pressenda, the owner’s family name, so the winery name translates to House of the Pressenda. They are a family known to locals for many years for their grapes, wine (they made a small amount for themselves over the years) and hospitality. Only recently, with the 2018 vintage, have they begun to bottle and release their wine commercially.

The family has owned seven and a half hectares at Perno since the early 1900s. The family has always worked their land themselves with meticulous care and attention. Their goal is “to treat the vineyards as little as possible and, when we do it, we only use products passed on sulfur and copper.” For nearly 100 years, the family sold their grapes to larger wineries in the area. It was not until the sisters Alice and Cristina returned home with the desire to vinify and bottle their wine themselves that the winery started to become known beyond their local friends -- first regionally, and soon worldwide for their wines.

Alice and Cristina’s father, Bruno, had worked for many years in the cellar at the Fontafredda winery. His many years there give him a breadth of experience to offer his daughters advice and act as a sounding board for their questions. Bruno works alongside Alice both in the vineyard and cellar, whereas Cristina and her mother work together focusing on the office and logistics. During important times of the year, they all work together – during harvest and bottling, for example. Bruno and his wife leave all final decisions to Alice and Cristina, in whom they have complete trust & faith.

Their vineyards have optimal exposures to the southwest and southeast. Luckily for them, five of their seven and a half vineyards are planted to Nebbiolo. In the vineyard, they work organically, though they have not chosen to seek certification. The soil at Perno consists of marine sedimentary origins, characterized by calcareous clay marl with alternating layers of sand and sandstone.

From their holdings they make one Barolo as well as tiny bits of Langhe Nebbiolo, Barbera, and Dolcetto. The Barolo is made from destemmed fruit and macerates on the skins for about 25-30 days. After settling for about eight months, it then goes into 25-30 HL Slavonian oak for 20 months, and then in bottle for a year before release. The other three wines are all fermented and aged in stainless steel. They have a tremendous purity of fruit and elegance. All wines are fermented without the addition of yeasts. The quantities here are tiny; the winery produces about 1,500 cases of wine per year in total. Their first Barolo, the 2018, is already a great wine, and they have made significant strides since then with their subsequent vintages. We are proud to represent them in our market!