Philine Isabelle

Aged just 16, German-native Philine Isabelle already considered agriculture an attractive pursuit. In 2009, she abandoned formal education in search of a more industrious career. Her father’s passion for wine and her employment in a local restaurant nudged her toward viticulture. ⁣For almost a decade, she worked at several leading biodynamic estates, as well as working as a consultant at Simonit & Sirch. In 2019, she relocated to Piedmont and established a micro-project, where she initially sourced fruit from top growers and vinified her wines in the cellars at Rinaldi.

She has since moved into her own winery and farms a 1ha parcel of Preda, currently split equally with Tom Myers of Cantina d’Arcy. Philine has also recently acquired four parcels of Nebbiolo totalling 1.5ha, including a plot in Barolo’s Le Coste di Monforte, 0.35ha of Dolcetto, parcels between Roddi and Verduno, and has planted Chardonnay in Alta Langa—the latter are both trained to pergola (to allow grazing animals) and planted using Keyline Design system for water preservation. Importantly, the addition of these new plantings will liberate Philine from tensions with landowners, allowing her to cultivate freely according to biodynamic principles and augmented by learnings from Dr. Elaine Ingham and John Kempf.

In 2021, Philine had not sold a single bottle commercially. Four years on and her wines are sold globally and have been strongly received by drinkers and critics alike. Her wines are vibrant and vivid, sharp and focused with effortless elegance. On the palate, there’s ample acidity and freshness with structure to die for, defined by melting, resolved tannins and heaps of dry extract. This great success surely results from a clear vision and tireless commitment to mastery of every detail. These are among the very best wines of modern Barolo that readers should buy whenever the opportunity arises.