It is Novello’s premier estate, and a rising star in Barolo - it also sits smack in the middle of the great Ravera cru. Elvio Cogno founded his eponymous winery when he already had most of a lifetime’s experience making Barolo behind him; these days, the winery is very skilfully managed by his son-in-law Valter Fissore. Cascina Nuova is a glorious and approachable wine made from a selection of the youngest vines in Ravera; Barolo Ravera is the winery’s calling card, made from some particularly old vines. 2016 was the sort of vintage that winemakers dream of, and Valter is proud to say he thinks his 2016 is the best Ravera he has ever made. Bricco Pernice is, as Valter has it, the ‘heart and soul’ of Ravera, and an exceptional spot; sheltered from the wind, with full southern exposure, on limestone heavy soil, it makes powerful and profound wines that demand aging.

Valter follows his father-in-law’s traditional, terroir-focussed model. No chemicals in the vineyard, long, slow fermentations started by wild yeast, then aging in large, Slavonian botti. It is also the most spick-and-span winery I have ever visited; Valter has an absolute horror of the faults that can result from poor winery hygiene. The result of all this is a series of wines that are luminous, pure and profound. Antonio Galloni describes the model as `enlightened traditional`, and I can`t think of a better way to put it. (NT 28/05/20)