2013 Valtellina Superiore, Ultimi Raggi, Riserva, Arpepe, Lombardy, Italy
Critics reviews
Drink 2022 - 2035
Michaela Morris, Decanter.com (Nov 2020)
About this WINE
Arpepe
Nebbiolo
Nebbiolo is the grape behind the Barolo and Barbaresco wines and is hardly ever seen outside the confines of Piedmont. It takes its name from "nebbia" which is Italian for fog, a frequent phenomenon in the region.
A notoriously pernickety grape, it requires sheltered south-facing sites and performs best on the well-drained calcareous marls to the north and south of Alba in the DOCG zones of Barbaresco and Barolo.
Langhe Nebbiolo is effectively the ‘second wine’ of Piedmont’s great Barolo & Barbarescos. This DOC is the only way Langhe producers can declassify their Barolo or Barbaresco fruit or wines to make an early-drinking style. Unlike Nebbiolo d’Alba, Langhe Nebbiolo can be cut with 15% other red indigenous varieties, such as Barbera or Dolcetto.
Nebbiolo flowers early and ripens late, so a long hang time, producing high levels of sugar, acidity and tannins; the challenge being to harvest the fruit with these three elements ripe and in balance. The best Barolos and Barbarescos are perfumed with aromas of tar, rose, mint, chocolate, liquorice and truffles. They age brilliantly and the very best need ten years to show at their best.
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Description
A throwback to when Sforzato could be made with grapes dried directly on the vine. Bunches grown at 600 metres are harvested just before the first snowfall - on 13 November in 2013. This is charismatic and delightfully confounding in its timeless, weightless quality. Gorgeous pressed flowers, juniper and potting soil punctuate dried fruit notes. Depth and concentration are rivalled by vigour and juiciness, while layers of tactile, clayey tannins meld with a gravelly mouthfeel. Blood orange rings out on the finish. The first vintage produced since 2009.
Drink 2022 - 2035
Michaela Morris, Decanter.com (Nov 2020)
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