It’s been quite a whirlwind for Elena Penna and Luca Currado. Penna and Currado left Vietti in January 2023 and quickly set up shop in a historic farmhouse in Serralunga. Along the way, they secured fruit from several top sources for Cascina Penna-Currado, the new winery they are operating with children Michele and Giulia, with a vision of returning to a smaller, more artisanal scale. These include parcels in San Sebastiano, a cool-climate sector in Monforte d’Alba leased from a grower who was previously a grape supplier to Vietti, and several vineyards in Barolo. The pace has been unbelievably fast. When I stopped by in September 2023, the farmhouse consisted of two dilapidated buildings. A year later, it is a fully equipped winery. Progress has been significant, but naturally, plenty of work lies ahead.

In tasting, I found the 2022s quite rustic. The wines were made in a period of intense transition away from Vietti, the family winery Penna and Currado operated for several decades. The 2022s clearly show the imperfections of wines made under very challenging circumstances. They are both stylistically and qualitatively quite different from the wines at Vietti and those that follow here. The 2023s, on the other hand, are a major step forward. This is truly where Cascina Penna-Currado starts. The wines are made with a lighter hand than what readers became accustomed to at Vietti. There is stem inclusion in the Dolcetto and some of the Nebbiolo lots, but whole clusters are not especially intrusive, at least in the early going. The range is expected to include Dolcetto, Barbera d’Alba, two Nebbiolos from Bricco Lago (a simpler, younger-vine Langhe Nebbiolo and a more serious Nebbiolo d’Alba), a blended Barolo from first-rate sites, two vineyard designate Barolos and Timorasso.

Cascina Penna-Currado is the new personal venture of the Penna-Currado Vietti family, spearheaded by Elena Penna, Luca Currado Vietti and their kids, Michele and Giulia. Custodians of a cultural and sentimental legacy in the noble lands of the Langhe, Luca and Elena spent over 35 years at the helm of one of Piedmont’s most lauded wineries, Vietti, until both decided to part ways in January of 2023. Their new venture is of entirely different scale, artisanal, and they look forward to building it as a family endeavor with their marvelous mix of wit, wisdom and refreshed ambition grounded by their sound roots and experience in the Langhe.

“In the firm belief that fresh energy is the driving force behind successful businesses, we have invested in the future of our family, which can count on substantial know-how and solid roots in the place it calls home. We know that the Langa area will play an increasingly central role in the future of Italian wine, especially if family and authenticity continue to be espoused as core values in artisanal approaches.”
- Luca Currado Vietti