OLEK BONDONIO
Barbaresco Starderi 2021
Piedmont, Italy
From a small parcel of forty year old vines planted on steep slopes in the Starderi cru. This spent two months on skins before being pressed off to old botti for a couple of years’ rest. The soils here are a little softer and the site a little less exposed than elsewhere in the region, producing pretty wines which often sing in their youth. This year’s offering is a delicate, nuanced expression of the grape where every little detail is in place.
Nebbiolo
ABOUT THE PRODUCER
Olek Bondonio has become one of the most sought after names in Barbaresco.
Olek grew up in the family’s farmhouse, ‘La Berchialla’, which sits amongst Barbaresco’s most famous crus and has been in his family for several centuries. After conquering Italy as a professional snowboarder, he turned his mind to wine, working in the Langhe and also abroad before returning home to look after the family’s vineyards.
Olek is lucky enough to work with some of the very best sites in Piedmont and does everything he can to make sure each wine speaks of this wonderful place. Today he farms close to seven hectares of vines, split up between Barbaresco’s Roncagliette and Starderi crus as well as parcels in Altavilla, Neive and Catagnole delle Lanze, and a famous vineyard high in the hills above Alba. Most recently, he has rented a small parcel of old vines in Verduno, from which he will produce his first Barolo, ‘San Lorenzo’.
In the vines, Olek works organically and with a real hands on approach, whilst in the cantina he works without fuss, exhibiting a patience beyond his years. The results are pure, deep and decidedly old school expressions of Piedmont’s local grapes.