James Suckling - Valtellina's "Nebbiolo delle Alpi"

James Suckling - Valtellina's "Nebbiolo delle Alpi"
Aldo FiordelliJames Suckling Wine Reports, July 8, 2024

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If wine regions were measured in terms of their beauty, Valtellina would rank right at the top. Its 820 hectares of steep, terraced vineyards run through a valley of nearly 120 kilometers that reaches 800 meters in altitude at its peak. The sandy loam soils found there are mainly the result of a retreating glacier, and the morainic terraces, some on glacially smoothed rocks, are a unique natural spectacle.

Generally, thanks to the mitigating influence of Lake Como, Valtellina’s five subzones go from the warmest to the coolest, starting with Maroggia at the beginning of the valley, then Sassella, Grumello, Inferno, and Valgella. The wines from Maroggia are more approachable than the others, and those from Valgella are leaner but also very elegant.

Nebbiolo grapes, known as chiavennasca in Valtellina, at one time needed greater concentration from the “appassimento” process (partial dehydration) to produce great wines, but things are a different today, as shown in Valtellina Superiore wines.

Danilo Drocco, a leading oenologist in Valtellina, told Senior Editor Aldo Fiordelli that the region’s wines today resemble Barolos made by the renowned Prunotto winery in the 1960s in that they come from vineyards with low yields, which heightens tannin quality. Among our tastings, the offerings of Arpepe, a cooperative winery, confirmed this.

Their Arpepe Valtellina Superiore Sassella Rocce Rosse Riserva 2016, from a vineyard in Sassella with a southeast exposure, is one of the most elegant and complex wines from the valley. Arpepe’s Ultimi Raggi Riserva 2016 comes from a higher-altitude (600 meters) vineyard with a western exposure, and it shows the sort of thickness and structure that will perform well in the long haul.

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