Classic Wines

A man with a vision. The Mercandelli family have made wine at Cabanon since 1909. Originally, we supplied a loyal clientele of restaurants, hotels and bars in the vicinity. Generations of their customers obviously enjoyed what we produced in our small corner of the Oltrepo Pavese wine area. In the 1960s, however, Giovanni Mercandelli brought a new vision to the family business. Blending a deep knowledge of wine with an equal understanding of wine making itself, he founded Fattoria Cabanon. Giovanni reorganised Cabanon’s vineyards in meticulous detail. He brought together traditional wine making principles, premium wine grapes and modern viticulture techniques. He knew that, by doing this, he could create wines of remarkable character. Their character has become the trademark of Fattoria Cabanon.

Like father, like daughter. Giovanni Mercandelli died in early 2003. But the inspiration and passion with which he imbued Cabanon continue undiminished. Because in his daughter, Elena, he had a kindred spirit. Elena started working with her father when she was 14 years old. She studied wine making at the prestigious schools of Trentino and the University of Bordeaux. Besides being one of Italy’s first female wine makers, she became the country’s youngest wine maker. With the knowledge and creativity that her father passed on to her, she displayed a remarkable maturity at an early age. Working beside her father for 25 years, creating premium wines and excellent vintages, literally cultivating and fermenting new ideas, Elena gained the most thorough understanding of Giovanni’s vision. In her, he saw the future of Cabanon.

A wonderful place to work. The Cabanon estate covers 40 acres and rises to 350 metres above sea level. Our slopes are located at the head of the river Staffora, where Lombardy edges against Piedmont. Our soil is thin, well-ventilated limestone-clay and we have the fortune to be in a microclimate. It is an environment which creates the perfect conditions for wine growing. It enables us to produce our wines using the means provided by Nature, not by man. This way, we can nurture the character and idiosyncrasies of the grapes. The quantity of the wines we make will always be limited. But the quality, we hope, will always shine through.

Organic viticulture: putting faith in Nature. At Fattoria Cabanon, we have never used chemical fertilizers, pesticides or herbicides to cultivate our soil. We have always trusted Nature’s own products to provide everything we need. They have their own ways of controlling pests as well as mustering beneficial spiders, insects and organisms to help us in our work. This is how vines were grown thousands of years ago. And it is how we will always cultivate them. In 1991, officials from the Region of Lombardy made a thorough inspection of our working methods. They accredited Fattoria Cabanon with being the only totally organic wine producer in the region at that time. The estate is also organically certified in accordance to European standards Reg. CEE 2092/91.

The philosophy continues until the cork is pulled. All our grapes are picked by hand, ensuring that only the best go into our wines. We do not use cultured yeast because our methods mean that, when the grapes reach maturity, Nature has coated them with all the wild yeast we need. In the cellars, everything continues to be kept simple and pure. No chemicals are added whatsoever. Our wines are left to develop their natural character with all its flavour and aroma. We are always working towards the moment when the cork is pulled. And towards making it a moment of revelation.

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