Canavese Kaizen 2022 Figliej

The Canavese Kaizen 2022 from Figliej is the most ambitious and meditative cuvée from this artisanal domaine in Settimo Vittone, and the purest expression of Nebbiolo Picotendro, capturing all the tension this confidential varietal achieves on the moraine terraces of upper Canavese. The name speaks a philosophy in one word: Kaizen, the Japanese doctrine of continuous improvement, vintage after vintage, gesture after gesture, never settling for what has already been accomplished. A declaration of intent that reveals everything about Bianca Maria Seardo and Riccardo Prola.

The grape and terroir

Nebbiolo Picotendro is the mountain cousin of Barolo and Barbaresco Nebbiolo, adapted for centuries to the alpine conditions of upper Canavese and the neighbouring Carema appellation, just 5 kilometres from Settimo Vittone. This particular biotype, smaller, later-ripening and more acidic than its Langhe counterpart, produces wines of such tension, lightness and minerality on the moraine terraces of northern Canavese that they stand apart from lowland Nebbiolo: less power, more precision, less alcohol, more alpine freshness. The Kaizen vines, clinging to vertiginous pergola-trained terraces on their traditional stone pillars, root into bare moraine rock, poor, well-drained and remarkably mineral-rich. This terroir imposes intense stress on the vine, concentrating aromas and giving Nebbiolo Picotendro a tension, verticality and minerality few Piedmont terroirs can claim with such clarity. Spontaneous fermentation with indigenous yeasts, no cellar interventions, restrained ageing that preserves the absolute purity and honesty of the varietal.

Tasting profile

The robe is slightly translucent ruby with garnet hints, showing the lightness and transparency characteristic of Nebbiolo Picotendro at altitude, a colour that belies the wine's depth. The nose strikes with precision and delicacy: aromas of dried rose, sour cherry, raspberry and violet open with almost Burgundian elegance, before white pepper, fine liquorice, alpine herbs and cold, precise moraine minerality emerge, anchoring the wine in its terroir with absolute frankness. On the palate, tension asserts itself immediately: vibrant, well-integrated alpine acidity structures an elegant, precise substance, carried by fine, tight Nebbiolo tannins that need several years to fully settle. Verticality and straightness dominate over richness, in a style recalling great Carema at its best. The finish is long, mineral and austere in youth, with persistence and depth that confirm this cuvée's ageing potential over ten to fifteen years.

The domaine

Figliej is the project of Bianca Maria Seardo and Riccardo Prola, who chose in 2016 to recover their family lands and pastures in Settimo Vittone, in northern Canavese, after seven generations of peasant viticulture. On 3 hectares of certified organic vineyards, with vines between 50 and 100 years old depending on the plot, they produce just 5,000 bottles annually, working without chemical treatments in the vineyard or added yeasts in the cellar. Kaizen best sums up their commitment: permanent improvement, growing precision, absolute respect for place and varietal.

Food pairing

This Canavese Kaizen pairs beautifully with tajarin dressed with white Alba truffles, Nebbiolo risotto, herb-roasted mountain lamb, wild mushroom fricassee, game birds like partridge or pheasant, or aged alpine cheeses such as Toma di Lanzo, Castelmagno or aged Comté. Decant for an hour in its youth. Served at 15 to 16 °C, it will progressively reveal all the alpine tension, moraine minerality and precision of Nebbiolo Picotendro from Settimo Vittone.