Peasant origins
The history of the Grimaldis is rooted in the peasant roots of the Langhe, in the Talloria Valley, at the beginning of the 19th century, when wheat fields grew between the rows and every farmstead had, next to the cellar, the stable in which prized Fassona Piemontese cattle were bred. Grandfather Giuseppe cultivated excellent Dolcetto grapes, the main variety in the Diano d'Alba area, which, after the harvest, he would load onto the cart and take to the Alba market, where they were bought by the winemakers.
A new beginning
After the war, Giuseppe's son, Carlo Grimaldi, began bottling under the family name. Work began to modernise the farm and rationalise the vineyards in order to enhance the varietal expressions of native vines and raise the quality of the wines produced. With foresight and intuition, Carlo understood the importance that the Nebbiolo grape variety would play in Piedmontese and then international oenology. It was in the early 1950s that the first vintages of Barolo and Barbaresco were bottled, which still today represent the winery's flagship wines and make Grimaldi a historical reality in their respective appellations.
After the war, Giuseppe's son, Carlo Grimaldi, began bottling under the family name. Work began to modernise the farm and rationalise the vineyards in order to enhance the varietal expressions of native vines and raise the quality of the wines produced. With foresight and intuition, Carlo understood the importance that the Nebbiolo grape variety would play in Piedmontese and then international oenology. It was in the early 1950s that the first vintages of Barolo and Barbaresco were bottled, which still today represent the winery's flagship wines and make Grimaldi a historical reality in their respective appellations.
Peasant Origins
The Grimaldi family's history is rooted in the peasant roots of the Langhe, in the Talloria Valley, at the beginning of the 19th century, when wheat fields grew between the rows of vines and every farmstead had, next to the cellar, the stable in which prized Fassona Piemontese cattle were bred. Grandfather Giuseppe grew excellent Dolcetto grapes, the main variety in the Diano d'Alba area, which, after the harvest, he would load onto the cart and take to the Alba market, where they were bought by the winemakers.
A new beginning
After the war, Giuseppe's son, Carlo Grimaldi, began bottling under the family name. Work began on modernising the farm and rationalising the vineyards to enhance the varietal expressions of native vines and raise the quality of the wines produced. With foresight and intuition, Carlo understood the importance that the Nebbiolo grape variety would play in Piedmontese and then international oenology. It was in the early 1950s that the first vintages of Barolo and Barbaresco were bottled, which still today represent the winery's flagship wines and make Grimaldi a historical reality in their respective appellations.
Il Groppone
In 1967, the new wine cellar was built in the locality of Groppone, still the site of the current winery. Groppone - from the Piedmontese grupun - is a long hillside surrounded by vineyards that are part of Sorì del Montagrillo, from which we vinify the eponymous Dolcetto di Diano d'Alba Docg. It was during these years that new rows were planted, especially of Dolcetto and Barbera, and negotiations began for new plots in the most vocated areas of the Langhe and Roero. Between the '70s and '80s, the Grimaldis bought nebbiolo vineyards for Barolo in the municipality of Roddi, cru Bricco Ambrogio; in Diano d'Alba, within the cru Sorano; and planted the vineyard Bricco San Biagio in La Morra.
Towards new markets
Between the 1980s and 1990s, Luigino Grimaldi, Giuseppe's grandson, joined the company. Grimaldi wines began to be exported, first to Germany, England, Holland, Switzerland, Austria, Belgium. Then Denmark, Eastern Europe and Scandinavia. Finally to North America and, more recently, to China and Asian countries. Luigino and his father continue to raise the quality of the wines, modernising production technologies and expanding new vineyards in the Barbaresco area, in Treiso, within the excellent Manzola cru.
Four generations of winegrowers
At the turn of the 2000s, purchases of vineyards continue, to expand the range of wines produced. Plots of land were acquired in Vezza d'Alba, suitable for the production of Roero Arneis, the great white wine of the "left bank of the Tanaro"; and a splendid vineyard of over 4 hectares in Sinio, a single body planted with Nebbiolo, Barbera and Dolcetto. In 2013, Elias, Luigino's son, joined the company, dealing mainly with the agronomic part and the work in the vineyard. Elias is the fourth generation of the Grimaldi family, and it is up to him to continue a century of winegrowing tradition in one of the world's most suitable lands for wine production.