From: Lombardy, Italy
Varietal: 100% Nebbiolo
Taste & Critical Acclaim: This vibrant, concentrated red wine comes from 50- —to 100-year-old vines in Buon Consiglio and San Antonio single vineyards in the Grumello subzone. It showcases a delicate yet consistently aromatic essence of tobacco and spices weaving through dried cherry, strawberry, wild berry, and hints of tea rose, Alpine herb, stone, and smoke. The savory palate has an understated elegance, offering Marasca cherry, pomegranate, and graphite alongside refined tannins. These refined and supple tannins lead to a smooth and enduring finish, creating a tightly integrated yet expressive character.
A fresh, focused red, with a subtle yet persistently fragrant thread of tobacco and spices winding through dried cherry and strawberry, tea rose, stone and smoke notes. Reveals supple tannins that firm the creamy, lasting finish. Tightly meshed yet still expressive, this should show well with short-term cellaring. Best from 2024 through 2034. 1,900 cases made, 170 cases imported.
95 points, Alison Napjus, Wine Spectator (May 2023)
Pairing: Generally, we adore this fine wine when served with roasted red meats, aged cheeses, or pasta with meat sauce. This gorgeous red wine would also be fantastic with cream of mushroom soup or served alongside mushroom ragù and risotto/polenta/pasta. Some other ideas include serving this with creamy chicken liver pasta and wild morels, baked cheesy pasta with wild mushrooms (check out the recipe below), skillet chicken with mushrooms and caramelized onions, sage-roasted chicken legs with chicken liver and caramelized mushrooms, and slow-roasted duck with an orange-sherry sauce.
Baked Cheesy Pasta With Wild Mushrooms
By Melissa Clark
“These wines from ARPEPE (an abbreviation of founder Arturo Pelizzatti Perego’s initials) are among the most impressive I tasted… From top to bottom, the wines are deserving of serious attention. The super-traditional style will leave lovers of translucent Nebbiolo weak at the knees… Perhaps most importantly, ARPEPE shows just how pedigreed the wines of Valtellina can be.”—Antonio Galloni, Vinous
About. Many thanks to importer, Skurnik Wines & Spirits for the following info! Tucked in between the Orobic and Retic Alps just south of the Italian-Swiss border, you’ll find the terraced vineyards of Arpepe. At the helm of this storied estate located in the Grumello subzone of Valtellina in Lombardy, is the fifth generation of the Pelizzatti Perego family. The roots of this blue-chip estate go back to the 1860s, when the current generation’s great, great grandfather Giovanni founded a successful winery in the area, then known only as “Pelizzatti.” Over 150 years have passed since then, including the dark days of the 1970s when the current generation’s grandfather fell ill and the family was forced to sell the Pelizzatti brand along with some of their vineyards. The more recent history of the estate is a backwards turn of events: the family re-founded their company under the Arpepe label in 1984, reclaimed many of their proprietary vineyards from renters, and were able to take back their cellar in Grumello. Today, Arpepe is widely recognized as the single best producer in the appellation (as well as a benchmark producer of Nebbiolo in general).
Castel Grumello, the property of the De Piro family going back to the fourteenth century, is a twin fortress that consists of two separate complexes once joined by walls which overlook the hill with Nebbiolo from the Alps vineyards. It gives its name to this wine, which is made with grapes from the two company-owned vineyards in the Grumello area. In years when low levels of tannins suggest brief ageing in large barrels, the Valtellina Superiore Grumello Rocca De Piro is surprising for the speed with which it becomes ready to drink. From the moment it makes its debut on the table, it always hits the spot: ready to drink, but also perfect for ageing with the reserves in the cellar.
More on the region. Do you love and crave wines from Alto-Piemonte, Burgundy, Loire Valley, Savoie, Vallee d’Aosta, Alto Adige, and any other alpine-kissed or cool-climate region that favors elegance? If you do, or if you’re curious, you should: 1) try wines from this area of Italy, and 2) read this excerpt from Joseph V Micallef’s article below to give you a better idea of the influences that make these wines so unique as well as a general detailing of the Valtellina crus, including the Grumello cru that this wine comes from.
The Valtellina: Discovering Nebbiolo From The Alps
By Joseph V Micallef, Forbes Contributor, published July 14th, 2018.
This wine. Technical Details.
100% Chiavennasca (Nebbiolo)
50-100-year-old vines
From Buon Consiglio and San Antonio single vineyards in the Grumello subzone
350-500 meters
Southern exposure
110-day maceration
Aged 18 months in 50HL untoasted casks
Rests 24 months in bottle prior to release
2,600 bottles produced annually
