Recently, my friend Lars Leicht put me in touch with Mariuccia Borio of Cascina Castlet so that she could bring me up to date on their latest production. I have been drinking wines from Cascina Castlet for over 25 years when I first met Mariuccia Borio at Vinitaly, the annual wine fair in Verona. I was so impressed with the wines that we carried them at I Trulli Restaurant in Manhattan when I was the sommelier/wine director.
Cascina Castlet, located in Costigliole d’Asti in Piemonte, has belonged to the Borio family for generations. In 1970, Mariuccia inherited the 5 hectare estate from her father and has been running the winery ever since. She wrote to me saying in part, “For me, taking care of this land means, above all, respecting it. Biodiversity, environmental stewardship and the natural balance of our vineyards have become an essential part of the way we work. Among the vines, trees, wild plants animals and insects coexist — a living ecosystem that I consider an integral part of Cascina Castlet’s heritage.”
Her passion for wine making extends beyond her own winery. In 1988, Mariuccia was one of the founding members of Le Donne del Vino, the national association of women in Italian wine. For nine years she served as the regional delegate for Piemonte, energizing the network and strengthening the collective voice of women producers.
Mariuccia sent me some of her wines to taste. There are six wines listed below. Four of them I have enjoyed over the years but two are new to me: A TAJ and Castlet Rosé
Piedmont Chardonnay DOC 2025 “A TAJ” made from 100% Chardonnay. In Piedmontese, “A TAJ” means useful, nice, just reaching the right point; a name suited to a new, young wine, born to be the companion of those who love good food. The vineyards, with their upward-trained, vertical-trellised vines, on fairly loose soil, have a rootstock density of about 4500 per hectare. Harvesting is carried out manually, in the first 10 days of September, when the grapes reach their peak ripeness. The bunches are placed delicately into baskets and sent off to be vinified in the shortest time possible. The must obtained from soft pressing is cooled and statically decanted. Alcoholic fermentation, with the use of selected yeasts, takes place at an average temperature 18°C. The wine is left on its fine lees in stainless-steel vats until bottling. Due to its characteristic freshness, it is put on the market soon after bottling. Given the noble origins of the vine, this wine could be kept for some years, but the winery advises to drink it young so as to gain the maximum pleasure from its fragrance. This is a fruity fresh wine with hints of apples, lemon, white peach and a note of pear. It should be served chilled but not cold.
Castlet Rosé (Vino Rosato) made mostly from Barbera with a small amount of Nebbiolo. The vines are cultivated using the Cordon Training method in fairly permeable soil with a density of around 4500 vines per hectare. The grape yield is kept low in order to ensure perfectly healthy and ripe fruit at harvest.Grapes are harvested towards the end of September, when they have ripened to perfection. The bunches are picked, carefully placed into baskets and immediately sent to the winery for vinification. After a short period of maceration on the skins, the must is separated and cooled before alcoholic fermentation takes place at an average temperature of 18°C. The wine is then aged for a few months in stainless steel vats and bottled in the following spring. This is a fresh and fruity wine with hints of cherry, raspberries, strawberries and a touch of blackcurrants. I would drink this wine young and chilled.
The label tells a family story: the snapshot from the 1950s shows young Mariuccia Borio sitting in the back on the Vespa–and three little girls–her cousins during a holiday afternoon.
Barbera d’ Asti DOC 2025 made from 100% Barbera grapes from hillside vineyards, which are more than 30 ears old. There are about 5,000 vines per hectare. Grapes are hand picked the first weeks of October. At the winery the must is fermented in contact with the skins at a controlled temperature for about 10 days. This is followed by malolactic fermentation. The wine is aged in medium sized oak casks for about 8 months and then in bottle for more than one year. The wine is released the second year after the harvest. The wine has hints of cherries, strawberries, blackberries, and violets, with floral notes and good acidity.Because Barbera is a red grape with good acidity this wine can go with many different foods. Even though this is an early drinking wine it still has all the classic Barbera characteristics.
This Barbera d’Asti DOC with its iconic Vespa label is the historical heart of the Cascina.
Mocsato d’Asti DOCG 2025. This sparkling (frizzante) wine is made from 100% Moscato d’Asti. The vineyards are on well-exposed hillsides and there are about 5,000 vines per hectare. The grapes are picked by hand the first two weeks of September when they have acquired a yellow, old gold color and are ripe and juicy. Selected grapes are sent directly to the winery where they are soft pressed. The must is then cooled and filtered. The foaming is the result of a natural fermentation in an autoclave and an isobaric filler is used for bottling. This is a wine that should be drunk very young. The alcohol content is only 5.5%. The wine has a flowery and fruity bouquet with hints of apricot, peach a touch of orange blossoms and a note of honeysuckle. This is a wine that can be served as a aperitif or as a dessert wine.
Litina Barbera d’Asti Superiore 2021 made from 100% Barbera grapes from hillside vineyards, which are more than 30 ears old. There are about 5,000 vines per hectare. Grapes are hand picked the first weeks of October. The must is fermented in contact with the skins at a controlled temperature for about 10 days. This is followed by malolactic fermentation. The wine is aged in medium sized oak casks for about 8 months and then in bottle for more than one year. It is released the second year after the harvest. This is a full-bodied wine with hints of strawberries, cherries, plum, blackberry, a touch of chocolate and a hint of spice.
Passum Barbera d’Asti DOCG Superiore 2021 made from 100% Barbera which comes from long established vineyards. The grapes are hand-picked in the middle of October and rushed to the winery for semi-drying in special are-conditioned, well-ventilated rooms. The duration of the drying depends on the vintage and therefore varies from year to year. The oenologist frequently inspects the condition of the bunches and the sugar content of the grapes. The stalkless grapes are pressed and fermented in contact with the skins in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks. The addition of selected yeasts along with frequent remontages causes regular alcoholic fermentation over the course of 15 to 18 days. The wine is then racked and kept in ideal conditions for the completion of malolactic fermentation. The wine is aged in French oak barriques and medium sized conventional vats for about a year and another 6 months or more in bottle before release. At 15.5% alcohol it is a complex full bodied wine with hints of plum, cherry raspberry, red fruit jam, with a touch of chocolate and a hint of spice. This is a wine that will age. I drank the 1979 a few years ago and it was wonderful.
Cascina Castlet also produces Barbera Monferrato DOC, “Goj”, Monferreto Rosso DOC, Uceine, Piemonte DOC Moscato Passito Avié, and Grappa.
Thank you to Lars Leicht for putting me in contact with Mariuccia Borio once again.