Although owner Paolo di Marchi achieved renown for making top "super Tuscan" reds, his family originated in Piemonte, Italy’s other famed red wine region. His family produced wine here until the 1960s and still owns an estate in the Lessona DOC appellation, in the province of Biella, north-east of Turin. Di Marchi recently decided to restore the family property, called Villa Sperino, and bought out his brother’s share in the estate. He is using the old winery, which is still fully equipped, and replanting the 17 acres of vines with Nebbiolo, the region’s noble red grape, as well as some Vespolina, a red grape used for blending and the white grape Erbaluce. "Apart from the challenge of making a good wine, I really feel enthusiastic about this project, which is taking me back to my family roots," said di Marchi. "In fact, our Cepparello label is actually based on a copy of the original Villa Sperino label."