The vineyards that produce the San Luigi, the Briccolero and La Costa are all located in San Luigi.

Rocky formation: FORMATION OF LEQUIO
Age: 10 million years (Tortonian)

Origins: from a deep seabed (400-500 m) and accumulation for forfeiture of sludge composed of clay, shells of micro-organisms (plankton) and silt originated marl. In time, due to the current and following subsea landslides, the levels of sand were created that now appear interspersed between the marl. In this area the sand layers are rather limited, with the predominance of clear marl. Marl that can be observed marl is whitish, alternating with thin layers of sand or sandstone (stone of Langa). The presence of calcium carbonate is very high. A similar configuration can be seen in Monforte, in the large slope facing south-east (Coste, Mosconi, Ginestra …) and in the upper part of the opposite side of the hill Serralunga (Boscareto and Cascina Francia).

The vineyards of Briccolero and La Costa

In our property: the soil origin, the high slope and position determine its continuous rejuvenation. We have shallow soil, light (white ground), that maintain the original components of silt-clay-sand, with a good presence of the latter, high calcium carbonate and alkaline pH. In the second zone (the west side, where our San Luigi is made) the lesser slope eased some soil accumulation and evolution of the same; more reddish, clay, tenacious and fertile (red earth).

Rocky formation: SANT’AGATA FOSSIL MARL
Age: about 8 million years (Tortonian)

Origins: from a seabed (200-300 m) the homogeneous layers blue-gray marl have been originated. The part of the sea, which occupied the Langhe and the plain, in the Piedmont Tertiary Basin area lost depth and underwater currents decreased gradually. This gave the Marne di Sant’Agata the characteristics of marine muds deposited in a peaceful setting, with the predominance of fine sediments (clay and silt) and less sand than the in F. of Lequio.
The territory of Pian Polvere presents a geological peculiarity given by the presence of the dorsal body of Monforte-Perno, from sandy soil, which create of marl between the gravel and sand, transported in depth from large submarine landslides, originate from coastal areas and deposited in the deepest areas and plains.

In our property: the vineyard called Pian Soprano Powder (D.D. 579 of 22/09/2015 of the Piedmont Region, fgl 7 part.226) is located on the ridge of the hill and slopes on the side facing south-west. Given the location, the ground did not have a particular evolution, and has maintained the original features of the source rock. Therefore, this is a clear soil, clayey but with a certain amount of sand and gravel from sandy levels. The amount of carbonate is less than in whites soils described above and also the clay and silt component is not the same, both as a quantity and as a type of mineral. Sometimes you may encounter rounded pebbles a few centimeters in diameter and remains of fossil shells (oysters and scallops) that testify the involvement of the origin of coastal sediments in underwater landslides.