A Roman winemaker and two New Yorkers found common ground in Alta Langa. Filippo had worked in the vineyards of Tuscany; Peter and Elaine had chosen these quieter Piedmont hills as home. Together, they started Cascina Elena in 2020.
The vineyards sit in a natural amphitheatre, surrounded by woodland. Small terraces and dry-stone walls shape the work. Much has to be done by hand, with organic farming and close attention to the soils, which move between marl, limestone, clay and sand.
They want the place to come through clearly in the wine, without faults or corrective winemaking. That leaves room to treat familiar grapes differently. Romeo, for example, takes Moscato away from its usual sweet expression: the 2023 wine spent 90 days on skins in terracotta, then another year ageing in the same vessels. Floral, textured and dry, it is made for the table.
That bottle is a useful introduction to Cascina Elena: local grapes and a hillside with its own demands, approached by people happy to try something of their own.
