CWD: 2001 Sella Lessona San Sebastiano Allo Zoppo

Thanks, Levi. This is great information.

If you regard Sperino more highly, I'll give them another shot. They're priced well above everything else on my list, at least in my market.

So, the Alto Piemonte would be: Lessona, Bramaterra, Gattinara, Boca, Ghemme, Sizzano and Fara. The Skurnik article mentions a couple more. I can't recall having a Sizzano or Fara but if Garella is involved, I'm in (Levi, does he speak English?).

Colline-Novaresi-Sesia.jpg

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www.skurnik.com

Funny not to consider Carema as not "Alto" because it feels like the most Alpine to me.

And sorry to have merged the wines of Lombardy. I think fo them similarly, but maybe I need to change that.

This is some of the most exciting stuff in the wine world to me. I'll probably end up loading down my French restaurants wine list with wines like this that would be great with the food, but no one will buy...

Levi, what about Odilio Antoniotto e Figlio that LDM brings in?
 
originally posted by VLM:
Thanks, Levi. This is great information.

If you regard Sperino more highly, I'll give them another shot. They're priced well above everything else on my list, at least in my market.

So, the Alto Piemonte would be: Lessona, Bramaterra, Gattinara, Boca, Ghemme, Sizzano and Fara. The Skurnik article mentions a couple more. I can't recall having a Sizzano or Fara but if Garella is involved, I'm in (Levi, does he speak English?).

Colline-Novaresi-Sesia.jpg

Loading…

www.skurnik.com
Click to expand...

Sperino works with some prime vineyards and in my humble opinion does a very good job with them.

Fara was dominated by Dessilani, until it collapsed. It is the warmest of the Alto Piemonte areas. Also the closest to Malpensa. Some of the vineyards lie on a plateau, and are relatively flat.

Cristiano Garella speaks English quite well.

In terms of the Valtellina, there is a lot of granite there, and it is truly a very different terroir than the Alto Piemonte. The Valtellina is more similar to the Northern Rhone than to the Alto Piemonte.
 
originally posted by Bill Lundstrom:
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.
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Garella would've been like 16 or something in 2001, right?

We drink a ton of his Colombera & Garella Bramaterra. Killer stuff.
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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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Cristiano loves Vespolina.
 
originally posted by Levi Dalton:
originally posted by VLM:
Thanks, Levi. This is great information.

If you regard Sperino more highly, I'll give them another shot. They're priced well above everything else on my list, at least in my market.

So, the Alto Piemonte would be: Lessona, Bramaterra, Gattinara, Boca, Ghemme, Sizzano and Fara. The Skurnik article mentions a couple more. I can't recall having a Sizzano or Fara but if Garella is involved, I'm in (Levi, does he speak English?).

Colline-Novaresi-Sesia.jpg

Loading…

www.skurnik.com
Click to expand...

Sperino works with some prime vineyards and in my humble opinion does a very good job with them.

Fara was dominated by Dessilani, until it collapsed. It is the warmest of the Alto Piemonte areas. Also the closest to Malpensa. Some of the vineyards lie on a plateau, and are relatively flat.

Cristiano Garella speaks English quite well.

In terms of the Valtellina, there is a lot of granite there, and it is truly a very different terroir than the Alto Piemonte. The Valtellina is more similar to the Northern Rhone than to the Alto Piemonte.
Click to expand...

That's more great info. Do you have a favorite time of year for visiting the Alto Piemonte?

Also, these are the Sperino wines available to me from my local distributor:

SPERINO LESSONA 11 $50
SPERINO L'FRANC 10 $75
SPERINO UVAGGIO COSTE SESIA RED 13 $25

Those are my wholesale prices.
 
That's more great info. Do you have a favorite time of year for visiting the Alto Piemonte?
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It rains there frequently, can get a bit gloomy, and there are typically some hail events each year. There are also vast forested areas where vineyards used to be, many abandoned wool factories, a lot of urban blight in general (imagine Rust Belt areas of the United States), and lots and lots of rice farms (this is where a lot of rice for Italian risotto is grown). Rice farms also mean mosquitos are around. If there are any luxury accomodations available, I didn't find them.

Those are the bad parts.

The good parts are the people, who share in a tight community trying to help each other out (think New California type in it together attitude), an apparent sense that you are at the epicenter of something really starting to move on the wine side (I imagine this is what Etna feels like), some good food if you know where to go or you eat at people's houses, and the sense that a young guy like Giacomo Colombera can be a partner in a serious boutique winery, be a part of a wine distribution business, and also open up a charming apertivo spot that he owns in an old square. What is possible for a young person there is just incredible, really. From my perspective it is hard to even fathom. This is a place where if you are willing to do the work and put in the time, the possibilities are endless. Amazing things can be done on a shoestring. That sense of energy makes it feel like an incredibly beautiful place, despite all the rain.

In terms of access, it is a large and varied region, but you can land at Malpensa and then drive from there to Boniperti in about 25 minutes. It isn't remote.
 
Also, these are the Sperino wines available to me from my local distributor:

SPERINO LESSONA 11 $50
SPERINO L'FRANC 10 $75
SPERINO UVAGGIO COSTE SESIA RED 13 $25

Those are my wholesale prices.
Click to expand...

I had the Sperino Uvaggio 2014 recently and liked it a lot. Made me think that Sperino has only continued to improve, in fact.

I have never had the L'Franc.
 
Housecleaning? In California? Huh? What happened to Hoosierville?

I don't find Sperino slick at all. Expensive yes, but they are nice wines.
 
originally posted by VLM:
originally posted by Levi Dalton:
originally posted by VLM:
Thanks, Levi. This is great information.

If you regard Sperino more highly, I'll give them another shot. They're priced well above everything else on my list, at least in my market.

So, the Alto Piemonte would be: Lessona, Bramaterra, Gattinara, Boca, Ghemme, Sizzano and Fara. The Skurnik article mentions a couple more. I can't recall having a Sizzano or Fara but if Garella is involved, I'm in (Levi, does he speak English?).

Colline-Novaresi-Sesia.jpg

Loading…

www.skurnik.com
Click to expand...

Sperino works with some prime vineyards and in my humble opinion does a very good job with them.

Fara was dominated by Dessilani, until it collapsed. It is the warmest of the Alto Piemonte areas. Also the closest to Malpensa. Some of the vineyards lie on a plateau, and are relatively flat.

Cristiano Garella speaks English quite well.

In terms of the Valtellina, there is a lot of granite there, and it is truly a very different terroir than the Alto Piemonte. The Valtellina is more similar to the Northern Rhone than to the Alto Piemonte.
Click to expand...

That's more great info. Do you have a favorite time of year for visiting the Alto Piemonte?

Also, these are the Sperino wines available to me from my local distributor:

SPERINO LESSONA 11 $50
SPERINO L'FRANC 10 $75
SPERINO UVAGGIO COSTE SESIA RED 13 $25

Those are my wholesale prices.
Click to expand...

i am in agreement with Levi on Sperino. i have been drinking them for quite awhile and think they are best with a few years of age on them. the Uvaggio is a good value and the 05s and 07s i have are drinking really well now. i still have a couple 04 Lessonas that i wont touch for at least 3-5 more years.
 
originally posted by Bill Lundstrom:
originally posted by VLM:

Also, these are the Sperino wines available to me from my local distributor:

SPERINO LESSONA 11 $50
SPERINO L'FRANC 10 $75
SPERINO UVAGGIO COSTE SESIA RED 13 $25

Those are my wholesale prices.
Click to expand...

i am in agreement with Levi on Sperino. i have been drinking them for quite awhile and think they are best with a few years of age on them. the Uvaggio is a good value and the 05s and 07s i have are drinking really well now. i still have a couple 04 Lessonas that i wont touch for at least 3-5 more years.
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But would you pay 1.5x those prices above? Or even 1.3x?
 
But would you pay 1.5x those prices above? Or even 1.3x?
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The market is what the market is. While the Lessona is steep, the Uvaggio sells for around $35 or so, so not too bad.
 
Everyone will pay what they will for a bottle of wine. But I can tell you that when you see what Sperino, Le Piane, or Colombera & Garella are working with in terms of vineyards and vine material, they are entitled to expect a premium over what others charge, if they want to ask for it.

I also suspect that now that Roberto Conterno has entered the zone, prices on the whole will only escalate.
 
originally posted by VLM:
originally posted by Bill Lundstrom:
originally posted by VLM:

Also, these are the Sperino wines available to me from my local distributor:

SPERINO LESSONA 11 $50
SPERINO L'FRANC 10 $75
SPERINO UVAGGIO COSTE SESIA RED 13 $25

Those are my wholesale prices.
Click to expand...

i am in agreement with Levi on Sperino. i have been drinking them for quite awhile and think they are best with a few years of age on them. the Uvaggio is a good value and the 05s and 07s i have are drinking really well now. i still have a couple 04 Lessonas that i wont touch for at least 3-5 more years.
Click to expand...

But would you pay 1.5x those prices above? Or even 1.3x?
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for the Lessona and the Uvaggio yes. i have never had the L'Franc. mid $30s for the Uvaggio is very fair price for the quality.
 
Levi, does Paolo di Marchi still make the wines at Sperino or at least stay involved? as i recall, the estate was in his family for years and he revived it in the early 2000s.
 
originally posted by Levi Dalton:
Everyone will pay what they will for a bottle of wine. But I can tell you that when you see what Sperino, Le Piane, or Colombera & Garella are working with in terms of vineyards and vine material, they are entitled to expect a premium over what others charge, if they want to ask for it.

I also suspect that now that Roberto Conterno has entered the zone, prices on the whole will only escalate.
Click to expand...

I'm more than happy with what I pay for Le Piane and Colombera & Garella, I just didn't know if Sperino was worth the premium on those two. But those same vintages have been in stock for a while now so it doesn't seem to be a value proposition here. I'm happy for people to make a decent living if they can do it, even if I get priced out of stuff, there is always some new person to support (sort of).

Evidently, L'Franc is cabernet franc.

I'll try to get my hands on some bottles and see what the what is for me.
 
I like Clerico Massimo’s Lessona. The wine is often fairly ripe but I find them soulful and dynamic. The few times I’ve brought them to jeebuses, folks are happy and the bottle is readily drained. Nathan, try the 2007 and 2008 side by side.
 
originally posted by Bill Lundstrom:
Levi, does Paolo di Marchi still make the wines at Sperino or at least stay involved? as i recall, the estate was in his family for years and he revived it in the early 2000s.
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My understanding is that his son Luca has been in charge of Sperino for many years.
 
originally posted by MarkS:
But would you pay 1.5x those prices above? Or even 1.3x?
Click to expand...

The market is what the market is. While the Lessona is steep, the Uvaggio sells for around $35 or so, so not too bad.
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My pocketbook is what it is, too. In my nabe, they're $33, $68, and DNE. At $68 there is a lot of competition from other really good bottles.
 
originally posted by Levi Dalton:
In terms of the Valtellina, there is a lot of granite there, and it is truly a very different terroir than the Alto Piemonte. The Valtellina is more similar to the Northern Rhone than to the Alto Piemonte.
Click to expand...
I wonder whether they have tried each other's grapes?

I recall some syrah from way up in Valle d'Aosta that was excellent (Les Cretes "Tour").
 
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