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In 1956, Michele Chiarlo established his winery in Calamandrana, in the northwest Italian region of Asti. In 1958, his first cru of Barolo was bottled. His father used to wash the muslin needed to filter Moscato when he was a teenager. He had to be convinced to let Michele pursue oenology, and he would only agree to that if Michele consistently performed well in his coursework, which he most certainly did!
He assumed control of the Cooperative Winery of Calamandrana in the 1950s, serving as President of the organisation from that time until 1980. He was among the first producers to begin exporting in the middle of the 1960s, and his success led to the construction of a new, larger winery in 1972.
The two sons of Michele Chiarlo joined the family business in the 1990s, with Alberto in charge of sales and marketing and Stefano in charge of viticulture and oenology.
The famed 20-hectare Tenuta La Court estate, which dates back to the 1800s and is located in Castelnuovo Calcea, one of the most significant vineyard regions for the growth of Barbera, was purchased by Michele in 1995. This allowed him to carry out his goal of improving the reputation of this grape type, and the following year he became one of the original members of Hastae.
In an effort to demonstrate to the world the potential of the Barbera grape, leading Piedmont estates have joined together to create "Super Barbera" wines. When Nizza finally received DOCG classification for the production of Barbera d'Asti Superiore Nizza in 2014, Michele's perseverance paid off.
Michele also focused on his other passion, Barolo, and in 2012 he joined the Accademia del Barolo as a founding member.
In addition to their 60 hectares of vineyards, which are located over the DOCGs of Barolo, Barbaresco, Nizza, and Gavi, they also purchase grapes from seasoned producers to supplement their own crop. Only indigenous grapes (Nebbiolo, Barbera, Cortese, and Muscat) are farmed. Wood is utilised, and each vineyard plot is vinified independently.
Read our Blog - The Rise of Michele Chiarlo Wines
