THE WHITE SOIL OF COCCONATO
In Cocconato, the large banks of yellow clays and sands that characterize much of the Asti province give way to a calcareous soil with white, soft marls, known in Piedmontese as THOU BIANC (tuff), which disintegrate under the sun, giving the land a light colour. These soils are traditionally reserved for red grapes vineyards because they produce wines of great strength and elegance. It was therefore surprising to discover that here white wines become savoury, intense, highly aromatic, and long-lived. On the east-facing slope of Bricco della Pieve, we planted a Chardonnay vineyard in the late 1990s, selecting from the best of Italian viticultural research. Just a few meters away, on the south-facing slope, in the vineyard we familiarly call ‘of the 3 pines,’ six years ago we decided to plant a small Timorasso vineyard. The Thou Bianc 2024 is the wine that comes from this union.
VINEYARD
Varietal: Chardonnay, Timorasso
Vineyard: Bricco della Pieve, Cocconato
Altitude: 330 metres a.s.l.
Soil: limestone with white marls, white tuff
Vine training technique: spurred cordon
Exposure: East
WINE MAKING
The Chardonnay and Timorasso grapes are harvested separately to ensure their proper degree of ripeness. Once transported to the winery, they are placed into presses for juice extraction; the resulting must is kept cold overnight. The following day, fermentation begins, monitored alongside constant temperature control. Once fermentation is complete, the necessary racking is carried out to allow the wine to naturally clarify, as it does not undergo malolactic fermentation. In the following months, the wine rests ‘sur lies’ aging in steel tanks until bottling, which typically occurs in late spring of the following year.
WINE
Monferrato has proven to be an ideal place for white grapes, which ripen well here and, when harvested early, produce a high-quality product that maintains a balanced relationship between sugars and acidity. Thou Bianc is an elegant wine that fully expresses the character of the region without the use of barrique aging. Its distinctiveness comes from the aromas of orange blossom, acacia, linden, banana, and honey. The dry taste, with great finesse, echoes the pleasant fruity notes. Starting from the 2024 harvest, a small percentage of Timorasso exhibits a more pronounced savouriness and a greater intensity of aromas. Thou Bianc expresses its best character in the first five years after bottling.
