The Cellar Ratti: sustainable architecture

The historical Ratti Cellar has been in the township of La Morra since 1965. In 2005, the construction was entirely renovated: a concealed architecture that is not ostensible and therefore, naturally filling the gaze of the beholder.

Sustainability means many things. Our Cellar is sustainable also on account of its construction blueprint. The building’s lines seamlessly meld with those of the hill, and its colors find continuity with those of the surrounding vegetation.

In 1965, Renato Ratti decides to make wine in the Abbey of the Most Holy Annunciation at La Morra. It’s an elective place for winemaking: the Monks who had once lived there were already producing wines from the grapes of the Annunziata basin.

Vinification in La Morra follows precise rules that across the years take on the more precise contours of the Ratti production philosophy.

An attentive eye to the peculiarities of the territory (with full awareness that each zone or subzone generates wonderfully different Barolos), with the felicitous intuition of bringing in the Langhe district the French concept of the Crus, a smaller impact from human hands in the vinification process and a different approach towards aging/refining.

If wine is continuity vis-à-vis the original characteristics of the grapes, the cellar becomes an extension of the natural space surrounding it. This is the intuition that sparked the creation of the new building in 2002.

The multi-level construction, designed by architect Marco Sitia, seamlessly melds into its surroundings. The lines of its covered spaces follows the hill’s profile; the construction materials provide the exterior with an aesthetic continuity with the natural tones of the surroundings.

The Cellar plunges into the hill, that is, into the selfsame ground whose shape and properties offer unique wines. The form and structure of the areas dedicated to the aging process maintain a steady temperature, reducing the need for conditioning to a bare minimum: minor contrivances in the planning stage that become major strongpoints for optimal vinification.

The best way to discover the Cellar’s characteristics is to book a tour, cross its areas and discover the history of Ratti Wines: a world to explore, to relive with excitement the rise of wines that are at once ancient and ultra-modern.

Information

The Cellar: sustainable architecture

The historical Ratti Cellar has been in the township of La Morra since 1965. In 2005, the construction was entirely renovated: a concealed architecture that is not ostensible and therefore, naturally filling the gaze of the beholder.