Alberto Ballarin

The Alberto Ballarin story starts with a nickname that stuck. Back in the early 1900s, an ancestor worked as a sharecropper on Strada Ballerini in Alba. When he returned to La Morra, locals started calling him the guy from Ballarin, a Piedmontese twist on the street name. That nickname became the family identity. In 1928, Pietro Viberti Ballarin built Cascina Ballarin in the Annunziata area of La Morra, a traditional farm with animals, fruit trees and vineyards. The transformation came in 1985 when Luigi Viberti and his sons Giorgio and Giovanni turned the old stables and barns into a proper winery, focusing entirely on viticulture.

The estate sits in the heart of the Langhe, where rolling hills meet a continental climate softened by Mediterranean winds from the south. La Morra is known for its blue marl and clay soils, which give the wines their elegant, aromatic character. The family works about 7 to 8 hectares of vineyards spread across some of Barolo's most prestigious sites. They own parcels in Bricco Rocca and Boiolo in La Morra, and in Bussia, one of the first crus officially recognized in 1961. The vines range from 25 to 55 years old, planted using the traditional guyot system.

In 2013, Alberto Viberti, Giorgio's son, joined the family business after gaining experience abroad at Torbreck in Australia's Barossa Valley and Arcangeli in South Africa. He brought fresh energy and a forward-looking vision while respecting the traditions his father grew up with. After 30 years of working together, the brothers Giorgio and Giovanni decided to split the company. That's when Alberto Ballarin was officially born as a separate winery, run by Giorgio and his son Alberto.

Their approach is straightforward. They practice sustainable viticulture with minimal intervention, no pesticides, no herbicides, no chemical fertilizers. Everything is done by hand, following methods passed down through generations. In the cellar, they look for balance, that harmony between sweetness, elegance and drinkability. They want their wines to express the territory honestly. Fermentation happens in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks. Aging varies depending on the wine, using a mix of French oak barriques and large Slavonian oak barrels.

The portfolio centers on Barolo, naturally. They produce a classic Barolo blended from parcels in La Morra, Monforte d'Alba and Novello, aged 26 months in wood. Then come the single-vineyard expressions: Barolo Boiolo from 35 to 55-year-old vines, Barolo Bricco Rocca, Barolo Bricco Rocca Riserva, and Barolo Bussia from their amphitheater-shaped vineyard in Monforte. Beyond Barolo, they make Langhe Nebbiolo, Barbera d'Alba including a special bottling called Giuli, Dolcetto d'Alba, and a small amount of Langhe Chardonnay. Four generations later, the Ballarin family keeps doing what they know best, making wines that taste like home.