Ar. Pe. Pe. Valtellina Superiore Sassella Vigna Regina Riserva 2009
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Winemaker Notes
This wine is made in a highly traditional manner with extended skin maceration in oak casks, and all the harvest work is done by hand.
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Wine Enthusiast
Fragrant and loaded with finesse, this radiant red opens with enticing scents of woodland berry, forest floor, smoky flint and wild Alpine herb. The still youthful palate shows tension and finesse, featuring ripe sour cherry, strawberry compote, tobacco and a mineral vein of graphite. Firm, refined tannins and bright acidity lend balance and structure, while an almost salty saline note lingers on the close. Drink through 2034.
Cellar Selection
Responsible for some of the most elegant and age-worthy wines in the world, Nebbiolo, named for the ubiquitous autumnal fog (called nebbia in Italian), is the star variety of northern Italy’s Piedmont region. Grown throughout the area, as well as in the neighboring Valle d’Aosta and Valtellina, it reaches its highest potential in the Piedmontese villages of Barolo, Barbaresco and Roero. Outside of Italy, growers are still very much in the experimentation stage but some success has been achieved in parts of California. Somm Secret—If you’re new to Nebbiolo, start with a charming, wallet-friendly, early-drinking Langhe Nebbiolo or Nebbiolo d'Alba.
Containing an exciting mix of wine producing subregions, Lombardy is Italy’s largest in size and population. Good quality Pinot noir, Bonarda and Barbera have elevated the reputation of the plains of Oltrepò Pavese. To its northeast in the Alps, Valtellina is the source of Italy’s best Nebbiolo wines outside of Piedmont. Often missed in the shadow of Prosecco, Franciacorta produces collectively Italy’s best Champagne style wines, and for the fun and less serious bubbly, find Lambrusco Mantovano around the city of Mantua. Lugana, a dry white with a devoted following, is produced to the southwest of Lake Garda.