Ghemme · Alto Piemonte · Est. 1500s
Antichi Vigneti
di Cantalupo
The Family
Five Centuries in the Same Hills
The Arlunno family's presence in Ghemme is documented to the early 16th century, they are farming these hillsides before most of the world's great wine appellations existed as concepts. Their first named vineyard acquisition was 1800, a parcel still in their possession. The estate passed through generations with the kind of quiet continuity that only happens when a family and a piece of land have genuinely found each other.
The modern chapter began in 1969, when Carlo Arlunno undertook a decisive replanting of the family vineyards, a quality-over-yield decision at a time when the region's economics pushed in the opposite direction. On May 3, 1977, Antichi Vigneti di Cantalupo was formally constituted as an estate winery. Carlo's son Alberto Arlunno, trained in agriculture and enology, released the inaugural estate-bottled wine. The 1974 Ghemme, establishing the estate's identity as a serious, single-estate producer.
Alberto is now joined by his daughter Benedetta Arlunno, the incoming fourth generation. The transition represents continuity rather than reinvention: the same commitment to 100% Spanna (no Vespolina, no blending compromises), the same devotion to the glacial moraine terroir that distinguishes Ghemme from every other Nebbiolo appellation in Italy.
"The key producer to know in Ghemme is Cantalupo, whose Ghemme Collis Breclemae is perhaps the finest wine the appellation produces."
The Terroir
Glacial Moraine: A Soil Type Found Nowhere in the Langhe
Ghemme's vineyards sit on some of the most distinctive soils in all of Piedmont. When the Monte Rosa glacier retreated thousands of years ago, it deposited a complex matrix of granite pebbles, schist, crushed Fenera dolomite, sandstone, loam, and sand across the hills of Alto Piemonte. This glacial moraine differs fundamentally from the Tortonian and Helvetian marine sediments that define Barolo and Barbaresco to the south.
The result is wines with a particular mineral lift and textural finesse, a granitic quality that cuts through the Nebbiolo tannin and gives even the densest vintages a quality of transparency. Wines from Cantalupo's vineyards at 280–310 meters elevation typically show more Alpine character than their Langhe counterparts: higher acidity, more delicate perfume, and a drinking arc that can extend for decades.
Before Barolo existed as a commercial concept, the wines of Ghemme and Gattinara were Piedmont's most prestigious reds, on the tables of the Dukes of Savoy and the papal court. The region was devastated by phylloxera, the World Wars, and post-WWII industrial migration. Cantalupo represents its patient, unhurried revival.
| Appellation | Ghemme DOCG, Alto Piemonte |
| Total Estate | 34–35 hectares |
| Altitude | 280–310 meters |
| Soil | Glacial moraine: granite pebbles, schist, crushed Fenera dolomite, sandstone, sand |
| Primary Varietal | Nebbiolo (Spanna), 80% of plantings |
| Blend Policy | 100% Spanna. No Vespolina or Uva Rara blended |
| Other Varieties | Vespolina, Uva Rara, Greco, Arneis, Chardonnay |
On 100% Spanna
Ghemme DOCG permits up to 15% Vespolina and Uva Rara in the blend. Cantalupo uses none. Alberto Arlunno's conviction is that pure Nebbiolo (Spanna) is the most honest expression of their particular hillside, a quality-forward decision that sacrifices the softening influence of accessory varieties for the sake of terroir transparency.
The Crus
Four Distinct Expressions, One Terroir
Ghemme / Anno Primo
The entry wine. An accessible, food-friendly expression of the estate's terroir. Approximately 91 points across multiple publications. The introduction to Cantalupo's style for guests unfamiliar with Alto Piemonte.
Collis Breclemae
The estate's most powerful and age-worthy expression. Old-vine parcel. Vinous 98 on the 2016 vintage. Antonio Galloni called it "wild, exotic and totally beguiling." Drinking window through 2046. Gambero Rosso Tre Bicchieri on the 2000 vintage.
Vinous 98Collis Carellae
More restrained and perfumed than the Breclemae. Mid-weight structure with an elegant aging profile. Vinous 95 on the 2016: "Fresh and vibrant. Sweet macerated cherry, spice, leather, tobacco, incense." Drinking window through 2036.
Vinous 95Signore di Bayard
The estate's third single-vineyard cru. Named after the legendary French knight Pierre Terrail, Seigneur de Bayard. The "knight without fear and without reproach", whose family connections to this region date to the 15th century.
Winemaking
Traditional Approach, DOCG Discipline
Cantalupo's cellar work is traditional in the most meaningful sense. Not as affectation, but as the natural continuation of methods refined over decades in a cool-climate appellation that rewards patience. Harvest is manual. Maceration runs 10–15 days with a rack-and-return technique. The wines then enter large Slavonian oak casks ranging from 15hL to 60hL for 20–36 months depending on the bottling, with the cru wines receiving the longest elevage.
Ghemme DOCG minimum requirements are already demanding (34 months total aging, 18 in wood; Riserva: 46 months, 24 in wood), but Cantalupo's cru wines regularly exceed these benchmarks. The large neutral vessels, contributing nothing in flavor, only a controlled oxidative environment, allow the wine's minerality and varietal character to develop without oak interference.
| Harvest | Manual |
| Maceration | 10–15 days, rack-and-return |
| Aging Vessels | Large Slavonian oak casks (15hL, 30hL, 60hL) |
| Aging Duration | 20–36 months (longer for cru wines) |
| DOCG Minimum | 34 months total, 18 in wood |
| Intervention | Minimal |
Breclemae '16
Carellae '16
Breclemae '00
Why This Wine Matters
"Here is the wine your most adventurous guests will thank you for. Before anyone had heard of Barolo, the wines of Ghemme were served on the tables of the Dukes of Savoy and the papal court. The Arlunno family has been farming these hills since the 1500s. Not as a marketing concept, but as documented historical fact.
The 2016 Collis Breclemae received 98 points from Antonio Galloni and is drinking through 2046. For Nebbiolo scoring 98 points, with glacial moraine minerality that has no equivalent in the Langhe.
This is what Alto Piemonte represents: wines with centuries of history at a quality level that the market has not yet fully recognized. The window to offer this to your guests as a discovery is still open, but not for much longer."