Biography
Martinenga, “a place which is sacred to the god Mars”, was the name given by the ancient Ligurian tribes to the woody spot just below the height beneath which they had found refuge (in Latin, asylum) from the Roman legions which, after conquering the nearby city of Alba, prepared to take control of the surrounding area. Two thousand years later, the place names of this part of Piedmont are still linked to these remote events. Asili and Martinenga, in fact, are among the most famous vineyards of Barbaresco, the ancient barbarica sylva (“barbarian woods”). And it is on the Martinenga vineyard, and other splendid possessions of the estate of this name, that the di Gresy marquises have founded their renown as producers of excellence.
It was in 1973 that Alberto di Gresy began to ferment the Nebbiolo grapes of his 27 acres of proprietary vineyards, creating wines which were considered among the finest of the Barbaresco appellation. The three Nebbiolo-based crus, Martinenga, Gaiun, and Camp Gros, symbolize and incarnate all the elegance which this superlative terroir regularly, even in difficult vintages, manages to express.
The production philosophy of Marchesi di Gresy is based on scrupulous and careful vineyard work which aims at the finest possible grapes, and cellar decisions which respect both tradition and research for the new. The results are absolutely excellent, both with the classic native grapes and with international varieties such as Chardonnay, Sauvignon, and Merlot. But it is the Barbaresco Camp Gros which is the essence of the great wines of Piedmont; first produced in 1978, and since then only in superior vintages, it is a selection of a small part of the Martinenga vineyard which rises towards Rabajà. A “summa” of the oenological excellence of the Langhe area in which environment and biology, together with the works of man, combine to create extraordinary characteristics of complexity and balance and confer exceptional aging ability as well.
In addition to the Martinenga estate, Marchesi di Gresy can rely on its Monte Aribaldo property in the township of Treiso, where Dolcetto, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon are cultivated, and on the La Serra and Monte Colombo properties, excellent sites for Moscato, Barbera, and Merlot.