Summary
Marco Bonfante is a family-run estate in Nizza Monferrato in the province of Asti, right in the historic heartland of Barbera d'Asti. The Bonfante family has farmed vines here for around eight generations; the company in its present form was founded in 2000, when siblings Marco and Micaela Bonfante took over part of their father's business and continued it under their own name. Around 23 hectares produce the classic wines of the Monferrato – Barbera d'Asti Superiore, Nizza DOCG, Moscato, Cortese – complemented by a Barolo from the estate's own plot in the Bussia cru. Its true calling card, however, is the rare Albarossa grape, which Marco Bonfante partly vinifies from air-dried fruit.
History
The estate's roots reach far back into the 19th century: by the family's own account, the Bonfantes have been producing wine in and around Nizza Monferrato for around eight generations. One detail of appellation history shows just how deeply rooted they are – one of the cru names in the Nizza DOCG appellation, introduced in 2014, carries the Bonfante name.
The business itself, by contrast, is young. After the death of their father Domenico his winery was divided up; in 2000 siblings Marco and Micaela Bonfante founded Marco Bonfante Srl from their share. Marco, a graduate of the long-established oenology school of Alba, took charge of vineyard, cellar and management, Micaela of the commercial side. The pair are supported by outside specialists, among them consulting oenologist Gianluca Scaglione and an agronomist for the vineyard work.
An important turning point came in 2004, when Marco Bonfante discovered the Albarossa grape for himself – a crossing of Nebbiolo di Dronero and Barbera created in 1938. That enthusiasm produced Albarone, the wine for which the estate is known internationally today.
Location & Terroir
Nizza Monferrato lies in southern Piedmont, in a landscape of hills between the Belbo and Tanaro rivers, roughly halfway between Asti and the Langhe. Since 2014 the area has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage listing of Piedmont's vineyard landscapes, together with the Monferrato and Langhe-Roero.
The soils here are mostly calcareous marls and sands of marine origin – a subsoil that gives Barbera its characteristic combination of dark fruit, juiciness and lively acidity. The sites around Nizza are considered the best in the entire Barbera d'Asti zone; it is no accident that precisely this core was elevated to its own DOCG. The climate is continental: hot summers, cool nights during ripening and frequently foggy autumns that allow long, slow maturation.
The portfolio is rounded out with fruit from further key Piedmontese zones – above all the estate's own plot in the famous Bussia cru at Monforte d'Alba, the source of its Barolo.
Style & Philosophy
The guiding principle of the house is simply put: wines should be elegant. For the whites that means deliberately no oak – Cortese, Arneis, Sauvignon Blanc and Moscato are made for freshness, fruit and mineral clarity, and drunk young.
For the reds, Marco Bonfante aims at structure and harmony: ripe but not overripe grapes, balanced acidity, moderate alcohol and an oak regime that supports the fruit rather than masking it. The top wines – Nizza DOCG, Barbera d'Asti Superiore Riserva and Barolo – age in barrique or large casks and are built for several years of bottle maturation.
In the vineyard the estate works, by its own account, on a low environmental impact principle, with reduced inputs and a focus on healthy fruit.
Notable Sites & Wines
The range covers almost all the classic appellations of southern Piedmont. Among the most important wines are:
- Albarone – Piemonte DOC Albarossa, partly from air-dried grapes (appassimento); the estate's signature wine
- Bricco Bonfante Riserva – Nizza DOCG, the peak of the Barbera pyramid
- Menego and Menego Anniversario – Barbera d'Asti Superiore DOCG, aged in barrique
- Stella Rossa – Barbera d'Asti Superiore DOCG, the fruit-forward, approachable classic
- Bussia Riserva – Barolo DOCG from the estate's own plot at Monforte d'Alba
- Duedidue – Monferrato DOC Rosso, a modern blend from the house
Alongside these come the region's white and sparkling styles such as Cortese, Arneis and Moscato.
Awards
Marco Bonfante has a presence well beyond the Italian market – the wines are exported internationally and regularly shown at trade fairs such as Wine Paris. The wine database wein.plus lists the estate as one of the region's best producers, with a large number of tasted wines from the top denominations Barolo, Barbaresco and Nizza DOCG. Particular attention in recent years has gone to Albarone: as the only Albarossa consistently made by the appassimento method, the trade press treats it as a distinctive contribution to the rediscovery of this almost forgotten Piedmontese variety.