Proprietà Sperino - Lessona 2009
The Proprieta Sperino is the realization of a dream. Paolo De Marchi, though already established at Isole e Elena, always had the desire to return to the once highly important wine making tradition of Lessona, by restoring the historical family estate with his son, Luca.
Up until the early nineteen-hundreds, North Piedmont boasted over 40 thousand hectares of vineyards. Now there are woods in place of the vineyards, and the works to reclaim them are long, but the peculiar terroir of Lessona has always given, and will continue to give the Nebbiolo grape such distinctive, unique characteristics as to make all the effort worthwhile. Situated at the foot of the Biellese pre-alpine hills, the soil of the Lessona district still contains ancient marine sands that make it one of the most acidic in the entire world of wine production. This allows the roots of the vines to explre deep into the ground and absorb minerals in quantities impossible in other conditions.
The climate is dry with generous light, and cool night breezes blowing from the Alps to the north mitigate the hot summer days. This in turn ensures a long growing season, which results in a wine with fine flavors, mature tannins of the Nebbiolo, and long mineral and savory finishing. No herbicides or chemical fertilizers are utilized, only the traditional coverage with copper and sulfate. The estate also has its own worm cast humus production facility.
The wines are made in full respect of local tradition. For this reason, the restoration works on the cellars were rigorously conservative, having been designed in the early eighteen-hundreds to work entirely by gravity. Fermentation with over a month of maceration takes place in short, squat, open upright oak vats.
The 2009 Lessona is drop-dead gorgeous. Sweet red berries, tobacco, menthol, and licorice jump out of the glass. On the palate, this is a juicy, soft Nebbiolo with no hard edges and plenty of supple, deeply expressive fruit. This is an unusually resonant, generous, and young Lessona built on balance and symmetry.
Ready to drink today, though the 2009 lessona will be even better in another few years.
