Fabio Gea (Barbaresco, Italy)

One of our favorite free-thinkers, Fabio Gea left behind a successful career as a geologist to take over his family’s land after it fell into disrepair following the passing of his maternal grandfather. An expert by many accounts, Pòtu—short for Giuseppe in his local dialect—oversaw the poly-farm planted to a whopping 200 grape varietals among other crops.

Today, the entire project centers around a few rows of Nebbiolo in and on the outskirts of the Barbaresco DOCG, as well as small patches of Dolcetto and Barbera, from which Fabio crafts 18 different cuvèes from just 1.8 hectares. All vinevard work is done by hand. In the cellar, apart from the use of some porcelain amphoras—Fabio’s own creation he calls “experiments in toilet” (as we alluded to earlier, Fabio tends to go off-script)—elevage takes place in old barrels, and glass or stainless steel tanks.

The result of all this hard work and outside-the-box thinking are some of the most unconventional and delicious wines we’ve ever tasted.