Lapo Berti
Lapo Berti is an obsessive and a purist. His self-professed "great passion for wine" began in his early twenties and would lead him on a twenty-year journey to wine regions worldwide, seeking out specific producers to work with and learn from. These travels helped him hone his talents and perfect his craft, giving him the skills he puts into practice today in Barolo, making his eponymous wines. Lapo's career began in his native Tuscany, working first with Selvapiana before moving to Piedmont, where he worked full-time as the winemaker at Enzo Boglietti. Here, he developed his love for Nebbiolo and forged meaningful friendships that continue to this day. His itinerant past included stints with producers like Roberto Voerzio (Barolo), Nicolas Potel and Michel Picard (Burgundy), and Cameron (Oregon) while also working all over Australia between seasons, most notably with Stephen Pannell in McLaren Vale. Working with these famously demanding producers fundamentally influenced Lapo's precise habits and perfectionist methods. After so many experiences in so many places, Lapo finally decided to settle down in Piedmont in 2012 to start his own project. He currently leases cru Nebbiolo parcels in the MGAs of "Fossati", "Bricco Rocca", and "Serradenari" in La Morra, which he meticulously farms himself. In 2022, Lapo also began working two plots of Dolcetto in Dogliani, a small DOCG on the southern edge of Barolo. The vineyards are all cultivated organically, and Lapo attaches great importance to building healthy soils that house various plants, insects, and other little helpers that create a living, ecologically balanced environment for the vines. Lapo's vinification methods are equally meticulous. Hand-harvested grapes are fully destemmed before crushing. Fermentations are long and rely solely on indigenous yeasts, taking place partially in stainless steel tanks and partially in open, neutral demi-muid barrels, both without temperature control. All the wines are made without fining agents or filtration, and sulfites are kept to a minimum, with only minuscule amounts added to the reds. His ambition is to make Nebbiolo in the most natural way possible, true to the characteristics of the grape, the vineyard, and the vintage, and that goal is beautifully executed in these wines.
