Olek Bondonio, owner of the 200-year-old family estate 'Cascina La Berchialla', is a special character, an outsider, a colorful man in a chic wine environment. His winery is located in Piemonte, right between Alba and Barbaresco. No stately tasting room here, no name tag, not even a website (Online he mainly shares pictures of newborn kittens) Olek does what his heart desires. For example, he built a halfpipe next to his wine barrels so he and the kids can skateboard. It illustrates where the priority should be: Work hard, play hard.
Olek (Italian father and Polish mother) was once a professional snowboarder and reached the Olympic top. He still likes to surf and skate, but he has also been busy with his wine company since 2005.
Winemaking runs in the family through his paternal grandfather. He was one of the founders of the 'Barbaresco's Corporate Wine Cellar', now known as 'Produttori del Barbaresco'.
The winery is blessed with an ideal location at the top of the Roncagliette cru, one of Barbaresco’s top locations, made world famous by neighbour Angelo Gaja (who bottles the vineyard under the name Sori Tildin). Olek also has land in the top ‘vigneti’ of Starderi, Altavilla, Neive and Catagnole delle Lanze. There is also land in the hills above Alba, and for some time now he has been renting a small plot of old vines in Verduno, from which he makes his first Barolo ‘San Lorenzo’. In all he owns almost 7 hectares, which are certified organic (2018) and biodynamically farmed. It is mainly Nebbiolo, but he also grows Barbera and Dolcetto, as well as a few rows of the Piedmontese heirloom ‘Pelaverga’, which grow in the Roncagliette vineyard.
But well, owning favourable vineyards is one thing, making good wine is another. Olek does this according to a 'hands off' principle. In the vineyard he is busy (he is the first to say that the quality of his wines comes from the incredible time he spends in his vineyard), in the cellar the opposite. Minimal intervention, going along with it and patience. The recipe for Bondonio to reach great heights. He prefers traditional winemaking techniques. The pressing takes place in a basket press, the (spontaneous) fermentation in concrete, the maturation in Slavic 'botti grande'. There is no filtering or clarifying and little or no sulphur is added.
The result? Pure expressions of indigenous grapes from Piemonte, with an unadulterated beauty, depth and authenticity. Olek Bondonio is undoubtedly an exceptionally talented winemaker and we are super happy and proud to have his wines in the store!