When Luca Currado and his wife, Elena Penna, sold Vietti in 2016 it felt as though Piedmont's family-focused wines were changing.

The storied Barolo property has been credited for the area’s focus on bottling single vineyards and, ultimately, producing some of its greatest wines. So to read Antonio Galloni’s piece on the sale The End of Innocence (where he states “Everything has changed. Forever.”) you might think Barolo’s artisan days were actually numbered. But, in reality, little changed: Luca and Elena stayed on until 2023. And, used their resources and know-how to start a brand new winery with their children: Cascina Penna-Currado.

The family's legacy is still being written, with a cantina based in Serralunga and holdings in two of the most prized Barolo crus. Read more below about the work and the very first releases (and a little library Vietti 😉).

THE WINERY & VINEYARDS

The family landed in Serralunga, in a historic old farmhouse at the top of the Lazzarito cru. It was built by the Marchesi Falletti in 1500s, was a hospital in the 1600s, and at one point the winemaking facility for the Opera Pia charity; now, it's home to their new operation.

Over a recent lunch, they laughed over the scale between their new winery and their previous home at Vietti, as this boutique operation could never scale to the size of the previous winery.

Wanting to establish the winery with some of the top sites in the region, most of their 20-some hectares are in Monforte d’Alba within San Sebastiano. But, the two most prized crus (which won't debut until 2027) are Monvigliero in Verduno and Ravera in Novello – two of the best sites in all of Barolo.

Lastly, Elena’s loves Timorasso (she even makes a vermouth with it under her own label), which led them to find a small amount of land in the the Colli Tortonesi.

WINEMAKING, FUTURE WINES & THE CURRENT RELEASE

Fans of Vietti will know Luca’s touch is expertly tuned to making deeply flavored wines without needing to overdo extraction. He’s not afraid of whole cluster with Nebbiolo, which he uses judiciously, too. Everything is natively fermented, though each cuvée sees a different treatment with aging.

The full range will include Timorasso and three Barolos (1 village, 2 crus). We expect the white later in the year with the 2023 vintage, which will also bring another Langhe Nebbiolo.

2022 Cascina Penna-Currado 'Bricco Lago' Dolcetto d'Alba
Luca wants this to represent the Langhe’s answer to Cru Beaujolais. Juicy, exuberant and wildly flexible at the table. The grapes are vinified whole cluster and raised in steel. Delicious wine. $34

2022 Cascina Penna-Currado 'Bricco Lago' Langhe Nebbiolo
A fine, delicate Nebbiolo that shows the pedigree of the family. From their San Sebastiano site, the fruit sees a cold maceration, then whole berry fermented (not whole cluster here) and raised from 8-12 months in barrel. $44

2022 Cascina Penna-Currado 'Carrà' Barbera d'Alba
An impressive Barbera. The Carrà site is in San Sebastiano and comes from two parcels, one planted in 1965 and the other in 2000. The fruit is vinified partially whole cluster and aged in botti. The final wine is powerful and long, showing the strength of old vines. $52

2012 Vietti Ravera Barolo
For those curious about their future work making Barolo from Ravera, this is a library release of one of the wines they made at Vietti before the sale. $220

RE. THE LABEL

If it feels vaguely familiar, it's because the artwork is drawn with BIC's iconic blue pens. However, the piece itself is original: a drawing of several generations of women overlooking Barolo, which Elena and Luca commissioned from one of their favorite artists, Giuseppe Stampone – who's famous for his BIC pen drawings.