CWD: 2001 Sella Lessona San Sebastiano Allo Zoppo

M

MLipton

Mark Lipton
Taking a break from house clearing last night, we hit the cafe at Chez Panisse to celebrate my [redacted] birthday. With some difficulty given the excellence of the wine list (Gonon? Clape? Ferrando?) I chose a wine that was much discussed here a decade or so ago. Holy cats! (To use a Coadism). What a freakin good bottle this was. Gamey , fresh strawberry fruit, velvety, rich and rose-scented: basically, everything I could hope for. It still has some back-end tannins, so no hurries, but I can’t see it getting any better than it is now. As an aside, I asked the waitron about storage cos the cork was as pristine as pristine gets. It sounds like CP has about the best storage you’ll get outside of a commercial storage facility and it’s all local. Chapeau.

Mark Lipton
 
I hear the FBI will be making your age available to congress in its upcoming meeting with the gang of eight; the betting is, it will be leaked immediately.

What's house clearing? Why are you doing it in San Fran? Did CalTech snatch you up?

Thanks for the note.
 
Mark, you know I love the wines of Alto Piemonte and still remember that excellent (and emotionally resonant for Steoh and I) bottle of Ar.Pe.Pe Grumello that you shared with us on your last visit.

Sella isn't something I think I've had in a while and doesn't show up much in my market. I'll keep an eye out since this sounds right ion our wheelhouse.

Happy birthday!
 
Sella switched directions after Cristiano Garella left and some of the vineyard holdings shifted. 2001 would have still been in the good times.
 
Thanks, Levi. That helps explain the precipitous dropoff in discussion anout Sella’s wines since that ‘01 vintage.

Mark Lipton
 
originally posted by Levi Dalton:
Sella switched directions after Cristiano Garella left and some of the vineyard holdings shifted. 2001 would have still been in the good times.
Click to expand...

Garella would've been like 16 or something in 2001, right?

We drink a ton of his Colombera & Garella Bramaterra. Killer stuff.
 
Jim, thanks muchly.
VLM: as we discussed, I was late to the game with Nebbiolo, but Jean is now also a convert thanks to a recently opened bottle of Produttori. Alto Piemonte is our sweet spot, especially as we’ve been priced out of many of our favorite Baroli. Any discussions of new producers there is most welcome.

Mark Lipton
 
originally posted by VLM:
originally posted by Levi Dalton:
Sella switched directions after Cristiano Garella left and some of the vineyard holdings shifted. 2001 would have still been in the good times.
Click to expand...

Garella would've been like 16 or something in 2001, right?

We drink a ton of his Colombera & Garella Bramaterra. Killer stuff.
Click to expand...

He was a child prodigy, yes. He spent a great deal of his childhood pruning vines with an old vigneron, and during that time, he once told me, he was not allowed to drink water, only wine.

I don't want to get too much into this, but I was trying to say is that there were changes in direction at Sella and that those precipitated Cristiano's departure.
 
originally posted by Levi Dalton:
originally posted by VLM:
originally posted by Levi Dalton:
Sella switched directions after Cristiano Garella left and some of the vineyard holdings shifted. 2001 would have still been in the good times.
Click to expand...

Garella would've been like 16 or something in 2001, right?

We drink a ton of his Colombera & Garella Bramaterra. Killer stuff.
Click to expand...

He was a child prodigy, yes. He spent a great deal of his childhood pruning vines with an old vigneron, and during that time, he once told me, he was not allowed to drink water, only wine.

I don't want to get too much into this, but I was trying to say is that there were changes in direction at Sella and that those precipitated Cristiano's departure.
Click to expand...

When did he leave?
 
originally posted by VLM:
originally posted by Levi Dalton:
Sella switched directions after Cristiano Garella left and some of the vineyard holdings shifted. 2001 would have still been in the good times.
Click to expand...

Garella would've been like 16 or something in 2001, right?

We drink a ton of his Colombera & Garella Bramaterra. Killer stuff.
Click to expand...

I like the Lessona as well.
 
Prof. Lipton-

The aforementioned Colombera & Garella makes great wines. Lately, we've been enjoying Le Piane Boca, there are the old stand by's wines from Ferrando, Cantalupo, Antoniolo, Vallana and Ar.Pe.Pe. Vallana wines can be outstanding bargains, but they aren't in the same league as the others mentioned to my palate. Antoniolo wines can have a touch of wood, but it generally isn't enough to bother me.

You can usually find wines with a bit of age on them from Cantalupo and Antoniolo for reasonable prices in the market.

A new discovery for me but very much traditional is Franchino from Gattinara.

Rosenthal has a stable of Alto Piedmont producers in his portfolio, but none have made much of an impression on me, but I would have either just had them once or twice Noah, Massimo Clerico, Rovellotti, Monsecco but are on my radar to sit down with again. He also now has Conti in Boca.

I've found the Sperino wines to be a bit slick and also expensive.

The sweet spot seems to be about $40. Not cheap, but if you get one with a bit of age (and they generally are released with a decent amount), well worth the tariff IMO.

I imagine that anything associated with Cristiano Garella is going to be good. He consults with a number of properties.

Levi and others probably have some other under the radar folks to check out and I'd love to hear about them too.
 
originally posted by Levi Dalton:
originally posted by VLM:
originally posted by Levi Dalton:
Sella switched directions after Cristiano Garella left and some of the vineyard holdings shifted. 2001 would have still been in the good times.
Click to expand...

Garella would've been like 16 or something in 2001, right?

We drink a ton of his Colombera & Garella Bramaterra. Killer stuff.
Click to expand...

He was a child prodigy, yes. He spent a great deal of his childhood pruning vines with an old vigneron, and during that time, he once told me, he was not allowed to drink water, only wine.

I don't want to get too much into this, but I was trying to say is that there were changes in direction at Sella and that those precipitated Cristiano's departure.
Click to expand...

Fair enough. I've never met Garella but he sounds like an astonishing young man. I just downloaded the IDDT interview.
 
The Cristiano Garella circle of wineries today includes...

Colombera & Garella, where there is an advantage to be found in the old vines that the Colombera family was farming before the partnership.

Le Pianelle. Cristiano lives at the Le Pianelle winery facility. He is a partner in the winery.

Boniperti in Fara, where Cristiano consults.

Ioppa in Ghemme, where Cristiano has recently started consulting.

Ca' Nova in Ghemme, where Cristiano does some consulting.

Zambolin. Fabio Zambolin is also a partner in Le Pianelle.

La Prevostura in Lessona. Which strike me as good wines.

Pastoris, which is an Erbaluce producer.

And there may be someone that I am forgetting (apologies, if so).

Robert Camuto gives 2013 as the year Cristiano left Sella: https://www.winespectator.com/blogs/show/id/51358

VLM mentioned several worthy producers already. I would mention that I regard Sperino more highly than he does. I would also just point out that Ar. Pe. Pe. is in the Valtellina, in Lombardia. Also, some people (like Cristiano) do not consider Carema to be a part of the Alto Piemonte. If you are looking for some tasty wine that is not from the Alto Piemonte, Cantine Garrone is a producer to note.

In terms of others to mention back in the Alto Piemonte, Barbaglia is noteworthy in Boca. La Palazzina is noteworthy in Bramaterra. Bianchi in Sizzano. Tiziano Mazzoni makes wines that will appeal to certain folks.

There is a lot happening in the Alto Piemonte, and there are producers that are popping up that I do not know yet. There are also big changes going on at certain wineries, like the recent buy in of Roberto Conterno (of Giacomo Conterno) to Nervi, a Gattinara producer. The Conterno news was the big news locally when I was in the Alto Piemonte recently.

I have been told that Vallana has exited the production of Gattinara.
 
Wow, many thanks VLM and Levi. If I weren’t sitting in an airplane, I’d already ve downloading this to sireadsheet.

Mark Lipton
 
originally posted by VLM:
originally posted by Levi Dalton:
Sella switched directions after Cristiano Garella left and some of the vineyard holdings shifted. 2001 would have still been in the good times.
Click to expand...

Garella would've been like 16 or something in 2001, right?

We drink a ton of his Colombera & Garella Bramaterra. Killer stuff.
Click to expand...

i am planning to open a Colombera & Garella varietal Vespolina on Sunday. i love their wine but i don't think i have ever had vespolina on its own. will report back
 
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