Gaudio Bricco Mondalino Winery

[gaw-DEE-o bree-CO mon-dah-lee-NO]

Location: Vignale Monferrato, Alessandria. Piedmont, Italy.

Gaudio Bricco Mondalino was founded in 1973 in the province of Alessandria. The Gaudio family has been making Monferrato wine for three centuries in this area and today the winery is owned by Mauro Gaudio who is also the winemaker. Gaudio Bricco Mondalino currently has 44.5 acres under vine with an average yearly production of 100,000 bottles.

Points of Differentiation

• Estate Grown, Estate Bottled for over 40 years
• Vineyard management is done by hand
• Family owned and run
• No international varieties
• For more than 300 years the Gaudio Family has been making wine in Monferrato

The History

Estate-bottling began in 1973 under Amilcare Gaudio. Amilcare also renovated the estate and built a state-of-the-art winery. Today, his son Mauro runs the winery. Mauro works side-by-side with his wife, Gabriella, and his daughter, Beatrice.

Bricco Mondalino takes its name from the highest point in the Mondalino hill, bricco meaning hilltop in the local dialect. Today the vineyards cover 44.5 acres, all in elevated, sunny positions on white calcareous terrain, rich in fossilized seashells and marine deposits. The vineyards enjoy a favorable microclimate and good rainfall (approximately 16 inches per year). Bricco Mondalino focuses on producing native varieties and has an average production of 100,000 bottles per year.

Recently, the winery has undergone significant innovations, starting with vineyard management. Mauro Gaudio explains that “Global warming has brought about a constant increase in alcohol, and we want to make sure there’s quality and concentration without alcoholic excess. In other words, we want to contain alcohol levels for maximum elegance.”

Simultaneously, the Gaudios have heavily invested in winery equipment, such as in new stainless steel vats, a new refrigeration system, new harvest containers, and a brand new tasting room with seating for 60, overlooking the barrique cellar.

The Terroir

The vineyards enjoy a favorable microclimate and good rainfall (approximately 16 inches per year). Bricco Mondalino focuses on producing native varieties as well as doing almost everything by hand in the vineyards. This allows them to reduce the use of tractors and therefore the CO₂ emissions and the adverse effects of compacting the soil. Horses help to fertilize the vineyards. Because of the techniques used in the vineyard, the family can grow small grape clusters that produce high-quality wines.