Cristian Boffa

As much as we love to indulge in the romanticism of “great” wine from “classic” producers, it may be even more thrilling to search for who is next. That sense of discovery is even more rare in regions like Piedmont where the list of great producers seems enshrined and immutable. Then someone like Cristian Boffa pops up. Absurd winemaking pedigree, single-vineyard Barolo in tiny quantities, and dare we say…affordable?

Born and raised in La Morra, Cristian Boffa was meant to be a winemaker. His maternal grandfather, Giacomo Alessandria, farmed five hectares of vineyards in the hamlet of Santa Maria, where he also operated a winery with his brothers. Cristian is fortunate enough to work these same vines today.

Stefano Boffa, Cristian’s father, worked for Luigi Oddero for over four decades, nearly his entire adult life. The Boffa family even sold grapes and wine to be bottled under the Oddero label up until the 2012 vintage. Cristian himself trained under Luigi Oddero, signaling a passing of the torch from the La Morra old guard to the new.

The 2012 vintage signaled something major. This is when Cristian and the Boffa family decided to pivot entirely to estate production and committed 100% of their farming and wine production to a new family label, “Cristian Boffa.” And in 2014, Cristian released his first Barolo DOCG, all 500 bottles of it.

These days Cristian works an organic program throughout his five hectares of vines, located almost entirely near the cellar in Santa Maria. The family is lucky to possess Nebbiolo in crus like Capalot, Bricco Chiesa, Santa Maria, and Galina, all passed down through his mother’s side.

La Morra is home to many producers working on Tortonian soils: both Odderos, living legend Lorenzo Accomasso, iconoclast Elio Altare, and the list goes on. This clay-rich terroir has a higher proportion of sand and lower proportion of limestone than what is found in the rest of Barolo (however this soil type is also found in Barbaresco!). The calcareous bluish marl found here is key to La Morra’s signature freshness, perfume, and elegance. The Boffa wines exude savory citrus and spice, lightness, with not an ounce of bulky, brooding Nebbiolo to be found.

Outside of La Morra, the family also owns a small parcel in Serralunga d’Alba cru Meriame, and they have just started to lease a vineyard in Monforte’s Bricco San Pietro; Nebbiolo from Serralunga is incorporated into the Langhe Nebbiolo for added structure

In the cellar Cristian keeps things traditional: fermentation occurs in stainless steel, followed by aging in slavonian oak botte grande (Garbellotto’s 25, 30, and 38HL). The Barolo La Morra cuvée is a blend of fruit from all four of their Santa Maria vineyards, while Capalot is a 100% cru bottling, from a site replanted around the turn of the millennium.

New names don’t crop up very often in the hallowed hills of Barolo, which is why this feels so special. And the wines just so happen to be thrilling.