Propietra Sperino Uvaggio Coste Della Sesia Rosso

Propriet Sperino is a splendid,12-hectare hillside estate in the small town of Lessona, near Biella in northern Piemonte. Here, the soils were formed over 300 million years ago by the explosion of a supervolcano, creating sandy soils known as ori di Lessona (Lessonas gold), which are rich in minerals, particularly manganese and iron. The soils extremely low pH (one of the lowest in the wine world) allows the Nebbiolo vines to take on the marked minerality that Lessona is famed for. The wines of Propriet Sperino are consistently superb, embracing a Burgundian style that is fragrant yet intense.

The estate was inherited by the De Marchi family (of the top Chianti Classico estate, Isole e Olena) through their relative, Felice Sperino, a passionate viticulturist and professor in Turin. Since the 1970s, Paolo De Marchi dreamed of revitalising Propriet Sperino. This dream was eventually realised with the help of his son Luca, who now runs the estate and makes the wines with Paolos guidance.

Production

Grapes for this wine were grown in the Ormeggio, Castagnola and Belvedere vineyards in Lessona in the Orolungo region. The altitude is between 290-350 metres above sea level. Soils are sandy, acidic and rich in minerals. Some fruit was also sourced from the 35 year old Madonna degli Angeli vineyard in Brusnengo in the Forte region which is included in the Bramaterra D.O.C. The soils in Lessona are unique: they have originated from a super-volcano explosion 280 million years ago, which was then covered by the sea before resurfacing with the formation of the Alps. This left in Lessona marine sands from the Pliocene period (known as Ori di Lessona) on an igneous rock subsoil, mixed with more recent glacial sediment.

Once the grapes arrived at the winery, they were manually sorted on the conveyor belt. The bunches were destemmed, gently pressed and the berries were gravity fed into the fermentation tank. Fermentation took place with natural yeasts in open-topped wooden fermenters. Skin maceration lasted for 25 days, with regular punching down of the cap. The wine then remained sur lie for 10 months and then a further 22 months in 15 hectolitre casks prior to being bottled.

Tasting Notes

Vibrant ruby red in the glass, this wine is simple yet seductive. The middle palate is fresh and juicy, packed with aromatic red fruits and occasional hints of herbs. It has a grand texture thanks to the supple, approachable tannins and well-balanced acidity from a slow and cold fermentation process.

This is great for lamb or wild boar dishes.