lessona:
tenacious elegance
bramaterra
the bold harmony
coste della sesia
the purity of the fruit
lessona
bramaterra
coste della sesia
The wine-growing lands of Lessona are essentially made up of Pliocene sands from marine deposits, while in the valley bottoms there are deposits of marine sands with shell fossils. The Bramaterra territory occupies an area extending for several kilometres, with large wooded areas. Geologically we find ourselves on red porphyries of volcanic origin, with the presence of sands and clays of marine origin.
The mixture that makes up the land of Lessona is extremely characteristic. On the hills the amalgam is made up of very ancient and fertile Pliocene sands, interspersed with patches of clayey loess, while the valley floors are rich in fossil shell deposits. The soil has a pH between 4.2 and 5.5 - among the most acidic on the European wine scene.
The geological origin of the area dates back to the very distant Permian, when the characteristic islands of quartz porphyry were formed by the cooling process of gas-rich magma, now transformed into precious nutrients. The soil has very strong acidity, with a pH between 4.8 and 5.8.
Soils composed of kaolin clays, even medium-sized skeletons, marine sands and marl. The soil has a pH between 5.5 and 6.3.
environmental sustainability
Our approach to environmental sustainability is embodied through soil protection, integrated viticulture and protection of biodiversity.
Protection of soil health:
Quality soil is the basis of healthy and vital vines. Its protection takes place through correct coverage, a high biodiversity index and avoiding an accumulation of pollutants, all of which allows the balance of the vineyard to be improved over time.
Integrated viticulture:
We seek holistic solutions to viticultural problems with an overall vision of the entire production and ecological process, selecting the best tools that allow us to obtain the lowest possible environmental impact and authentic effectiveness.
Protection of biodiversity:
The value of biodiversity is not only reflected on an environmental but also agronomic level. The richness of flora in the vineyard and its surroundings facilitates the presence of micro-fauna in the vineyard which plays an important role in containing the proliferation of vine parasites.
Each estate has a story to savor
the sands of lessona
This geographical region has a sub-continental Po Valley climate characterized by numerous microclimatic oases, linked to the particular exposure of the slopes. These "oases", including our hilly area of Lessona, have average annual temperatures of an almost Mediterranean type. Winter, usually low in precipitation, rarely sees episodes of snow and excess frost. Spring, humid and temperate, facilitates the often rather early start of vegetation. The summer, hot and dry, tends to gradually fade into autumn, which is often mild and dry, with an excellent temperature range between day and night, which guarantees slow maturation. Precipitation, rather abundant in the Biella area, is largely reduced every few kilometers: while Biella receives around 1500 mm/year, Lessona, 15 km to the east, records on average just over 1000, with distribution prevalent in the spring months . It follows that summer rains are fundamental for the well-being of the vineyards: the sands of Lessona, which are very draining, would force the vines to suffer excessive water stress. The suitable soils in the Municipality of Lessona are almost entirely made up of marine sands with one of the most acidic pHs in the entire Italian wine scene. The important concentrations of some elements such as iron and manganese strongly characterize the mineral profile of the wines.
Viticultural management is carried out with the utmost respect for the individual vine; the high average age of our vineyards (around 40 years) requires us to respect every single vine, guaranteeing their balance and well-being. Working with ancient vineyards involves higher costs and reduced production, but these vines, with their deep roots, produce grapes that deeply reflect the terroir of origin. Always to respect our land first and foremost, avoiding erosion problems, we try to limit soil processing to one per year at most (normally carried out at the beginning of winter). Fertilization takes place with natural or palletized manure and by mowing the grass, which, by concentrating the residues on the sub-row, allows the nitrogen input to be reduced. Almost all of the work is carried out manually, from winter pruning to harvesting. The training method is in rows, with Guyot pruning of 8-12 buds. Normally in our vineyards there is no need to thin out production in the summer season: the age of the vineyards naturally guarantees a reduced grape load, on average between 250 and 1000 grams per vine.
The Bramaterra region includes the municipalities of Masserano, Brusnengo, Curino, Roasio, Sostegno, Villa del Bosco and Lozzolo from west to east. Located immediately east of Lessona, it covers an extensive hilly strip that reaches the eastern limit of the province of Biella, in the portion of Upper Piedmont located on the right bank of the orographic basin of the Sesia river. From a microclimatic point of view, the seasonal trend is quite similar to that of Lessona despite colder average winter temperatures. The territory of Bramaterra occupies the southern portion of the Rive Rosse, a large hilly area extending for tens of kilometers, little anthropized, mostly still dominated by wild fauna and flora, with extensive woods rich in oaks, chestnuts and birches. Geologically we find a crown of 3 different islands of quartz porphyry, a lava rock that is not very compact because it is derived from gas-rich magmas of Permian origin, flanked by a limestone island (in Sostegno) and extensive presences of sands and clays of marine origin ( especially in the easternmost section of the denomination). The Bramaterra Estate in particular is located on a block of red porphyry, mostly disintegrated by the prolonged action of atmospheric agents, with the presence of more or less consistent clay deposits.The original nucleus of the vineyards of the Bramaterra estate, founded at the end of the 19th century, consisted of a few hectares.
In Bramaterra, over the course of the 20th century, subsequent plantings brought the vineyard area to around 20 hectares in a single plot, which today constitutes one of the largest single-owner vineyards in all of Upper Piedmont. The vineyards are in a wide band of soft hills located at a height between 270 and 350 meters above sea level. Loose soils, of volcanic origin, have an acidic pH and colors that go from pale yellow to dark red to brown, depending on the degree of oxidation. The average age of the vineyards is around 45 years, while the last plantings date back to about fifteen years ago. The vineyard used for the "I Porfidi" selection, on the highest hill of the estate, is much older: it is a 1933 plant that insists on an emerging vein of pure porphyry, with a red-brown hue. As far as processing and fertilization are concerned, viticultural management follows the same principles used on the Lessona vineyards. Almost all of the work is carried out manually, from winter pruning to harvesting. The training method is in rows, with Guyot pruning of 8-10 buds. Normally in our older vineyards there is no need to thin out production in the summer season, the load is naturally reduced to less than 1000 grams per vine; in the younger vineyards, instead, careful thinning of the bunches is carried out to ensure correct and balanced maturation.
Viticulture in this area boasts an ancient and consolidated tradition, already in Roman times Pliny the Elder praised these vines for their qualitative characteristics and their widespread diffusion. These places have been dedicated to vines for centuries, in fact already in the Middle Ages there was an increase in the areas dedicated to viticulture followed by a greater offer of wines. An important change occurred in the 18th century thanks to a strong innovation that involved the agricultural sector, this led to a shift in vine cultivation to hilly areas. This winemaking tradition is also demonstrated by the paintings depicting Bacchus present inside the building adjacent to the current vineyard, which makes us understand how this culture was rooted in the area.
The cultivation and maintenance of the vineyards is the result of a centuries-old commitment on the part of several families who have taken care of the land where the current estate stands. There are some testimonies which indicate the Avogadro family as the first, of which there is currently any trace, who dedicated themselves to this activity, followed in 1808 by the Rosazza family (after a century which became De Lachenal) purchased the palace and the adjacent lands keeping alive the winemaking tradition and finally the Sella family took over the estate, continuing to cultivate and take care of the vineyards through the family winery "Tenute Sella".
