Poderi Einaudi

The first Einaudi estate was founded in 1897 by 23-year-old university professor Luigi Einaudi, who went on to become the first president of the Italian Republic to be democratically elected in 1948 and was one of the most highly respected in the country’s history. The original Einaudi homestead is located in San Giacomo, near Dogliani, the heart of Dolcetto country. Today, Luigi Einaudi’s great-grandson Matteo Sardagna manages production with precious consultation from winemaker Beppe Ca Viola. His team also includes Zvonimir Jurkovic, cellar master and vineyard manager, and Roberto Mozzone, logistics manager.

Some of the region’s finest vineyard sites belong to Einaudi. The total surface of the properties (12 estates in total) is now 160 hectares (395 acres), with over 60 hectares (148 acres) under vine. The vineyards boast seven different terroirs. There are four hillside vineyards in Dogliani (the Vigna Tecc cru and San Luigi), while Barolo has two crus (Terlo and Cannubi). Terlo is part of the estate’s original property (calcareous marl soil at 300 meters/984 feet above sea level) and is used for the select, single-vineyard Barolo of Costa Grimaldi. The south and southeastern slopes of the celebrated Cannubi hill, at an altitude of 220 meters/722 feet above sea level, make for a Barolo of superb breed and longevity. The historic winery – which bottled the president’s Dolcetto wines as early as the 1920s – has also more than doubled in size and has been totally renovated. Most of it is underground and temperature/humidity-controlled, which provides ideal conditions for the wines.
Einaudi has equipped (and expanded) the cellar with 24 of the latest generation of porous cement tanks (La Calce del Brenta), which are smaller in size, making it easier to manage micro-fermentation as well as with terracotta amphorae.