2023 Vietti, Timorasso, Derthona DOC, Colli Tortonesi, Piemonte, Italy.
Of course Vietti is a must have winery in Piemonte for Barolo and Barbera, but the white are strong here, with the Arneis and this beautiful, very Burgundy like Timorasso being outstanding white wine bottlings here. I was able to taste this one at the recent Slow Wine tour stop in San Francisco, and even as a joke got to pour it for a few attendees as I had experienced Derthona wines and obviously Vietti many times over the years, explaining how Vietti was instrumental in saving this rare native varietal from possible extinction, and like Arneis helped make become a full DOC and popular grape in modern times. The bright golden hued 2023 Vietti Timorasso, from vines set on clay marls with limestone underneath, is lively and fresh in glass with a crystalline medium bodied palate of lemony citrus, white peach, Bosc pear and quince fruits, along with a core of mineral, wet stone and leesy brioche, as well as hints of verbena, almond and delicate white flower florals. All in all, this Derthona DOC white from Vietti is a darn good example of this varietal in its purest form, making it a version of this grape you’ll want to have as a reference point if you’ve not tried Timorasso before, and it is vey tasty stuff. Vietti has gone their own way on fermentation, with their Timorasso, it lasts about four weeks and takes place partly in ceramic vessels, oak casks and stainless steel tanks and to preserve freshness the wine does not undergo malolactic fermentation, keeping loads of vitality.
The Timorasso grape and the Derthona DOC are quite trendy these days and many top producers, like Vietti here, are making these varietal wines from Piedmonte’s southeast corner, but my first really good experience with this grape come with Walter Massa’s 2012 version of the newly recognized Derthona DOC, which blew me away. While Vietti had star power enough to get Timorasso into people’s glasses, it should be noted that Walter Massa almost single handedly saved this varietal from extinction, along with former Vietti winemaker Luca Currado, as I’ve noted before, and makes what might be one the best example of Timorasso wines you can find, along with Borgogno’s most recent efforts. Timorasso, a thick skinned native varietal that was more commonly used in grappa production that still wines, but now has turned out to be a new darling of the wine world. Derthona, as mentioned before, is the ancient name for Tortona, the town in southeast Piemonte, hence the appellation Colli Tortonesi (Tortona Hills) name. The Timorasso grape is widely believed to be one of the longest-aging white varieties in Italy, with many of the producers saying it takes a few years to get itself together in the bottle, but then it reveals a real impressive depth of flavor, making more of a palate impact with some honeyed notes. It deserves its success and some serious attention, going well with a variety of foods including poultry, pork and fatty fish and decedent shellfish, even lobster and or crab dishes. The Vietti Derthona 2023 vintage is already very pleasing in the glass and I highly recommend looking for it.
($32 Est.) 92 Points, grapelive