Enio Ferretti did not convert to organic farming — he never farmed any other way. When he founded La Morella in Carezzano in 1985, on the calcareous clay and marl hills of the Colli Tortonesi at 343 meters above sea level, certified organic viticulture was not a marketing category but a personal conviction. Four decades later, the estate stands as one of southeastern Piedmont's most coherent addresses for natural wine, now managed by Enio alongside his daughter Sofia.
Backstory
La Morella occupies a corner of Piedmont that straddles the borders of Liguria and Lombardy in the province of Alessandria. The estate has been certified organic since its first vintage in 1985 — well before organic viticulture became fashionable in Italian wine. Enio practices a polycultural approach, cultivating not only vines but also wheat and medicinal herbs across the property, treating the farm as a living system rather than a single-crop operation. Ten hectares of vineyards produce approximately 14,000 bottles per year.
The Region
The Colli Tortonesi are among Piedmont's least-celebrated yet most distinctive wine zones, producing structured whites from Timorasso and savory reds from Barbera, Dolcetto, and Freisa. The soils — calcareous clay with marl and alluvial deposits — drain well and concentrate flavor in the grapes without excessive irrigation. South-facing exposures and constant winds at 343 meters create a microclimate well-suited to slow, even ripening.
Vineyards and Farming
La Morella is certified organic through Codex Control Body. No pesticides, herbicides, or synthetic fertilizers are used. Vines are worked by hand. The estate grows Timorasso, Cortese, Barbera, Dolcetto, and Freisa — all indigenous to this corner of Piedmont — and is recognized as a VinNatur member for its commitment to minimal-intervention growing and winemaking.
Winemaking
Grapes are hand-harvested and fermented with indigenous yeasts only, without commercial yeast additions, enzymes, or other additives. Wines are aged in stainless steel and concrete tanks without new oak. Many cuvées are released with no added sulfites. Nothing is fined or filtered.
The Wines
La Morella's portfolio includes Il Monte (Cortese), Timorasso (the estate's flagship white), Barbera, Bricco delle Streghe (Dolcetto), Freisa La Corte dei Merli, and Antico Convento. Enio has been among a small group of producers credited with the modern revival of Timorasso — a grape that nearly disappeared from the Colli Tortonesi before a handful of visionary growers recognized its potential for age-worthy, minerally white wine.
