Canavese Chemp 2021 Figliej

The Canavese Chèmp 2021 from Figliej is one of the most compelling and engaging bottles you will encounter, a blend of approximately 25 indigenous Canavese varieties, spontaneously fermented and aged without artifice, sourced from an old terraced vineyard of sixty-year-old vines clinging to vertiginous slopes at Settimo Vittone. A wine made by an artisan vigneron in every sense, whose complexity and sincerity will captivate anyone seeking authenticity.

Terroir and vineyard

Figliej is the project of Bianca Maria Seardo and her husband Riccardo Prola, who chose in 2016 to restore their family's land and pastures at Settimo Vittone in northern Canavese, less than 5 kilometres from the historic Carema appellation, with which they share character, style, and territorial roots. Seven generations of peasant viticulture precede the creation of the current domaine, founded with a clear vision: farming without chemical treatments in the vineyard, working with indigenous yeasts in the cellar, in respect of the generational examples Riccardo has always observed and made his own. The Chèmp comes from a single terrace, its vines between 60 and 70 years old, made from roughly 25 indigenous varieties in complantion, including Nebbiolo, Uva Rara, Neretto Gentile, Bonarda, Barbera, Croatina, Chatus, Cabernet and other unknowns. These vines root themselves in living rock of morainal origin, on extremely steep terraces trained to pergola, the traditional toppie resting on their stone pillars. This morainal rocky soil, poor and well-draining, combined with altitude and alpine influences in this corner of Piedmont, gives the wines a finesse, freshness and elegance that mark them distinctly. Spontaneous fermentation, twelve months ageing in stainless steel, annual production of 5,000 bottles from the domaine's 3 hectares.

Tasting profile

The robe is a luminous garnet red with violet reflections, displaying a lightness and transparency that signal the fineness and digestibility to come. The nose shows striking complexity and precision for such a diverse complantion: aromas of plum, fresh cherry and small red fruits emerge naturally, accompanied by notes of thyme and wild mint characteristic of alpine terroir, and a fine, precise morainal minerality that anchors everything to its geological origins. On the palate, the wine shows natural freshness and tension, with fine tannins from Nebbiolo and complementary varieties, lively acidity well-integrated that brings energy and drinkability, and a light, elegant texture that unfolds with a verticality and depth you would not expect at this price. The finish is clean, mineral and persistent, with that return of fruit, herbs and stone that is the absolute signature of this Settimo Vittone terrace.

The domaine

Figliej is an artisanal 3-hectare domaine with certified organic viticulture, its vines between 50 and 100 years old depending on the parcel. With annual production of just 5,000 bottles, each lot is the direct expression of morainal terroir and a complantion of indigenous varieties that speak to a millennia-old peasant viticulture, today magnified by the commitment and conviction of Bianca and Riccardo.

Food pairing

This Canavese Chèmp pairs beautifully with risotto al Barolo, gnocchi alla fontina, creamy polenta with wild mushrooms, alpine lamb cutlets with mountain herbs, characterful Piedmontese cured meats, or aged cheese such as Toma valdostana or Castelmagno. Served between 15 and 16°C, slightly cool, it will reveal all the alpine freshness, morainal minerality and aromatic complexity of an artisanal terrace wine of absolute sincerity and precision.