The Yellow House
Giacomo Fenocchio, Monforte d'Alba | Tag: People
You find it by following the road up through Monforte until the village runs out, then continuing for another kilometre until the yellow house appears on the left. Not signposted. Not announced. A farmhouse with a small gate and a view down across the Bussia vineyard to the valley below.
The house has been yellow for as long as anyone can tell. It is the oldest reference point in the Fenocchio family's geography — everything else is described in relation to it. The Bussia parcel is the one below the yellow house. The cellar is under the yellow house. Claudio's office is in the yellow house. When the family says we are at home, they mean they are at the yellow house.
I spend three hours here with Claudio and Eleonora. The conversation moves between the four crus, the 1864 founding date carved into the cellar wall, the particular way Bussia soil behaves in a cold spring compared to a warm one. Claudio pours without rushing. Eleonora listens to her father with the attention of someone who has heard this before and is still learning from it.
Outside, the Bussia vineyard runs down toward the valley in rows that have been in the family since 1867. The vines are old. The house is older.
At some point I realise Claudio has not once looked at his watch.
Neither have I.
The Fenocchio family arrived in Monforte d'Alba from Dogliani in 1840. The estate was formally founded in 1864. Claudio Fenocchio is the fifth generation. His daughters Eleonora and Letizia represent the sixth. The estate holds 14 hectares across Bussia Sottana, Cannubi, Castellero, and Villero.
GIACOMO FENOCCHIO AZIENDA AGRICOLA
LOC. BUSSIA, 72 | 12065 MONFORTE D'ALBA (CN)
Email: info@giacomofenocchio.com
Instagram: giacomofenocchio
