Travaglini

Northern Piedmont has a long tradition in the production of outstanding red wines from the Nebbiolo grape. Unlike the wines of Barolo and Barbaresco, the cooler mountainous vineyards of Gattinara and the hills around Novara and Vercelli in the north-east section of Piedmont produce some of the most lithe, refined and perfumed Nebbiolo wines of all, that also age remarkably well. There are several DOC and DOCGs in Vercelli, Novara, and Biella provinces, but Gattinara is the most widely known. The best Gattinara wines are made from 100% Nebbiolo and during the last 40 years, Giancarlo Travaglini has made it his mission to spread the name of the historical wine, gaining recognition around the world for high-quality wine production.

Travaglini cultivates roughly 55 hectares out of a total of only 100 hectares for the whole Gattinara DOCG, and has always made richer wines than most in the area; indeed, his wines often had an uncanny resemblance to those of Barbaresco in decades past.

The wines are traditionally crafted with medium to long maceration times and are aged in large Slavonian oak casks. The Nebbiolo is complex and refined with classic full body and palate. The three Gattinara versions made at Travaglini are simply outstanding examples of Old World, traditionally crafted, red wines that age gracefully while gaining complexity as time passes.

All wines by this producer (10)

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Producer Fact Sheet Details

(Gattinara Riserva 2019) “Restrained violets, cherry pits, rhubarb and licorice. It is almost austere on the nose, like the great wines of the past, but then on the palate the tannins flow ripe and velvety, dusty enough so you can recognize nebbiolo. Full-bodied and crisp, with tight yet integrated acidity that keeps tension up at the end. Austere in the finish yet precise and long, with whiffs of mint. A wine intended for the long haul.” 98 points, Aldo Fiordelli, 10. Top 100 Wines of Italy 2024, JamesSuckling.com (November 2024)

“Travaglini’s 2022 Gattinara is such a classy, polished wine. Sweet macerated cherry, pine, blood orange, spice and new leather are all lifted in the glass. Silky tannins wrap it all up in style. This is a very sexy wine from Travaglini. All the elements are so well balanced. What a total delight.” 93 points, Antonio Galloni, Vinous (February 2026)