Casteggio, Pavia

In the Oltreppo wine region in Lombardy, Prime Alture is a younger winery than most, as it has only been operating for 12 years. Combining wine, food and relaxation in their spa, salt water pool and beautifully decorated rooms, each named after a different grape variety, Prime Alture is run by former aerospace engineer Roberto Lechiancole, and aims to give you a “wine experience”.
Get picked up from the airport in style in the bespoke, Pinot Noir coloured wine car, fitted out with a solar powered fridge in the boot, so you can sip vino as you are driven to your accommodation situated at the heart of the resort’s 10 hectares of rolling vineyards. Prime Alture produces a vast range of wines, including their “Centopercento Pinot Noir” (Lechiancole’s favourite grape!) as well as their Merlot “L’altra metà del cuore” (meaning The Other Half of the Heart, alluding to how Roberto’s wife convinced him to bottle and sell this wine) not to mention their own metodo classico “Io per te”, again made with Pinot Noir grapes, after all, the Oltreppo area is the 3 rd largest producer of Pinot Noir in all of Italy! All wines – which are featured in all of Milan’s top Michelin starred restaurants bar 2 - can be enjoyed in the stunning dining room, which sports panoramic views of the vineyards with its 3 sides of glass windows. However, Prime Alture refrain from calling their dining room a restaurant, as they don’t provide a set menu. Instead, the select menu changes every day, corresponding to what the chef can buy in the local market or harvest from Prime Alture’s own vegetable garden, keeping all the dishes fresh and seasonal! (If you get a chance, make sure you try their risotto, as the Oltreppo region is famous for its Arborio rice!)

The best part about Prime Alture is that you can take your luxurious wine experience home with you, as they ship their wine all over the world, including the USA!

The Wines

Originally from Milan, Roberto Lechiancole wasn’t always in the wine business. A former aerospace engineer, he turned to terrior later in life, and opened his boutique vineyard and wine resort, Prime Alture around a decade ago. Combining wine, food and relaxation in its spa, salt water pool and beautifully decorated rooms, Prime Alture produces a vast range of wines, including their “Centopercento Pinot Noir” (Lechiancole’s favourite grape!) as well as their Merlot “L’altra metà del cuore” (meaning The Other Half of the Heart, alluding to how Roberto’s wife convinced him to bottle and sell this wine) not to mention their own metodo classico “Io per te”, again made with Pinot Noir grapes – Lechiancole’s favourite. It's pretty handy, as Prime Alture’s location in the Oltreppo region of Lombardy situates Lechiancole in the one of areas with the largest levels Pinot Noir production in Italy! 

Despite this large scale of production going on around them, Lechiancole tells us that Prime Alture is a producer for wine lovers. “We can’t be a producer for the supermarkets” he admits, telling us that the winery makes 8000 bottles a year, 500 of which they keep for research and development purposes. This being said, who minds about supplying supermarkets when you’re featured in the top eateries in a cultural metropolis; Prime Alture supplies all Michelin starred restaurants in Milan bar two! We wonder how long it will take to talk the remaining establishments around…

When we asked Lechiancole about the process of making his produce, he told us poetically that “to make wine is like being an alchemist. You must know your ingredients.” He went on to use the analogy that even if you ask a chef for the recipe of your favourite dish, you’re never going to be able to recreate it at home. “It’s not because he didn’t tell you something, there’s no secret.” Instead he says there are two factors; ability, and the components. “If he told you to use 2 spoons of oil… which oil does he mean?” He tells us that is the same with wine, and that even though many wineries use similar methods, the distinction between products comes from what ingredients are used, and these ingredients include the quality of the soil that the grapes are planted in. And of course, he tells us that the last most important ingredient of wine is passion. “You have to have a passion in your job” he states definitively. “Otherwise you can’t make anything good.”

The Wines

La Morandina produce Moscato, Barbaresco, Barbera d'Asti and Chardonnay, all varieties clearly and unmistakable locals. While drinking the Moscato, the image of the sunlight is evoked by the golden hues of the wine, an oasis of sparkling emotions: for us it's a party right away.
Giulio and his brothers have also an inclination to the Arts: some labels are inspired to the movement of Futurism, adapted to the wine making world.
A touch of color and new shapes that explain the character of the wine and a slightly particular vision of the vineyard as well as life.

Remote Tasting

Selection of Piedmont's blends kept inside the estate's former chapel, which can be enjoyed al fresco in the delightful cobbled courtyard sprinkled with comfy seating areas (this is an excellent spot for a candlelight nightcap, too). Back inside, there'