2016 Poderi Oddero Barolo DOCG

About Cantina Oddero

It is the history of our family and of viniculture in the Langhe, of its wine cellars and vineyards. It is a story of the dedication of a people and a territory whose wines are represented by the masterpieces of Barolo and Barbaresco. It is a tale that we like to tell to all wine lovers who come to visit the place where our history came alive.

It is difficult to pinpoint a precise date for when our ancestors began making wine, though the vineyards and farmhouses that we live in today have always belonged to the family. From researching parish and township documents, however, we can confirm that the Oddero family has been present in the territory of La Morra since at least the 18th century.Through writings, notarial acts, and personal photographs, we know that Giovanni Battista Oddero (1794 -1874)—and after him, his sons Lorenzo (1821-1903) and Luigi (1832-1893)—began to vinify grapes in the township of La Morra between the 18th and 19th centuries.

It is through their efforts that our wines were introduced to the rest of the world. First, they were sold in small barrels and demijohns, and by 1878 they were sold in bottles through the efforts of the first Giacomo Oddero (1851-1915). Several recent findings demonstrate that near the end of the 19th century, Barolo Oddero was already being successfully exported to the Americas in small oak barrels.Other wines earned important recognitions in Italy. In 1911, our Barolo was part of the International Exposition of Turin. It was included in a wine tasting organized by the Subalpine Oenophiles Guild (Circolo Enofilo Subalpino) in occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Unification of Italy.

The history of today’s winery is inextricably tied to that of Giacomo Oddero, born in 1926 and grandson of the first Giacomo in the family (whom he was named after). Giacomo was an eclectic character with vast cultural interests. In the 1950s, he renovated the ancient farm and house and began the arduous task of elevating the quality and prestige of the area’s wines—not only his wines, but of the entire Province of Cuneo. Among his many public and administrative tasks, he was the provincial Assessor of Agriculture and signed many of the procedural guidelines called disciplinare that gave wines of the Langhe and Roero their DOC and later DOCG certifications. He was also the guiding hand behind many regulations for nearly all of Piedmont’s principal agricultural crops, from cheeses to the Langa hazelnut and vegetables grown on the plains.In 1997, Giacomo Oddero formed the National Center for Alba Truffle Studies (Centro Nazionale Studi sul Tartufo d’Alba), today the principle center for Italian research in the study and promotion of the “King of mushrooms,” the Tuber Magnatum Pico.

Under Giacomo’s guidance, Poderi e Cantine Oddero took on its current productive configuration, extending vineyard property, increasing bottle production, and upholding a high quality that today is recognized worldwide.

The legacy of Giacomo Oddero is carried on today by his daughter Mariacristina, who entered the family business near the end of the 1990s, and grandchildren Isabella and Pietro, who represent the seventh generation of a family with over a century and a half of vinicultural tradition behind them. The new generation has brought a breath of fresh and youthful air to Oddero, while at the same time preserving thetraditions of its founding fathers with love. They have introduced elegance and innovation, yet respect the environment in the vineyard. Their attentive and dedicated work has earned the winery prestigious recognitions at the national and international level; milestones achieved with passion, hard work, and perseverance.