2019 ARPEPE Rosso di Valtellina

WINEMAKER: Isabella, Emanuele & Guido
VARIETAL: Nebbiolo
REGION: Lombardia, IT
VITICULTURE: Sustainable

"From vines more than fifty years old planted over granite, fruit is sourced from the lower parts of their parcels across the various crus at around 350-400 metres above sea level. The grapes undergo a long, gentle maceration with the skins in tini, before being pressed off to big old chestnut casks. This is a perfect introduction to the kind of lithe, perfumed Nebbiolo they do so well." - Tutto Wines

The Perego family has been tending vines on these sheer granite terraces in the mountainous Valtellina since 1860. The vines are so far north into the alps they are practically in Switzerland. Only working with Nebbiolo, locally known as Chiavennasca, grown up to 700m above sea level on sheer, south-facing, sunlit vines that dig straight into rock. The resulting fruit is intensely mineral. Production is old-school and the labour is intense, the hills making it very difficult to reach the fruit at all.