2016 Rivetti & Lauro, Uì, Valtellina Riserva DOCG, Lambardy, Italy.
Tasted blind, the 2016 Riserva from Rivetti & Lauro was absolutely captivating with beautiful maturity and finesse on the vinous and savory full bodied palate, while retaining a nice freshness even after 10 years and it was excellent with curried lamb shoulder in pastry. The Valtellina Riserva 2016 is developing tertiary notes, but has the pure Nebbiolo layering of reduced berries, dried cherry, damson plum, grilled fig and red currant fruit, along with tobacco leaf, tarry licorice, mineral tones, cedary spice, wilted rose, orange tea and delicate earthiness. Over the years I’ve become a big fan of Valtellina wines and this beautifully textural and pure high elevation Nebbiolo really hits the spot with its acidity and depth, it is an excellent example of the region, which is set on combination of sand and clay soils with high density plantings on the classic terraces. For this wine, made from 100% Nebbiolo, was all hand harvested with small yields, and a careful selection of the grapes, which are all de-stemmed. The fermentation takes place in small stainless steel tanks with a cool maceration period and the aging, at least 24 months, in this case, is done mainly large 30HL casks and some French oak barriques, after which the wine is rested in bottle for another couple of years. Valtellina also has an Amarone style DOCG Nebbiolo wine called Sforzato, where the grapes see a period of drying on straw mats to give a hedonistic density and richness of flavors, and of about which 30% went into this Riserva, it is a fabulous rarity I highly recommend Nebbiolo fans search out. Over the course of the evening, the 2016 really filled out and revealed balsamic strawberry, incense and subtle leathery elements, while retaining the dense core of supple and mature fruit, it is a totally delicious garnet and brick hued wine that will seduce any and all Nebbiolo lovers. A big thank you to Cella Restaurant in Monterey, who provided an excellent meal and atmosphere to experience this unique and rare bottle, and my friend Giuseppi Cossu, who generously poured this for me. The Rivetti & Lauro wines are fabulous values as well, though very hard to locate with limited availability, but certainly worth the chase.
The wines here are age worthy with supple tannins and Rivetti & Lauro say the wines tell the tale centuries of history and local traditions, that are infused in the place. These vineyards are the largest terraced wine-growing area in the whole of the Italian mountains and its remote location make it an under the radar gem and a bit of a mystery to uncover with glorious rewards in the bottles. The Valtellina region, as mentioned in my reviews from here and prior notes on Rivetti & Lauro wines, is a high Alpine valley in the Lombardy region of northern Italy, bordering Switzerland and renown for its mountain Nebbiolo wines, which have really gained worldwide attention in recent times, even though this area has flourished since Roman times. During the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries, the Valtellina region belonged to what was know as the Three Leagues (the “Grey Leagues”), which was then a mutual-defense zone that was independent of Switzerland, but was part the easternmost Swiss Canton of Graubünden. This remote area in which German, Romansh, Lombard and Italian languages are all spoken, the region became known variously as Veltlin, or Westtirol (West Tyrol) in the 1800s, but now proudly Italian. Interestingly, because of Valtellina’s remote location and easy to defend terrain, during the last months of World War II, the Italian dictator Benito Mussolini and other diehard fascist leaders of the Italian Social Republic (RSI) proposed making a “last stand” against the advancing Allied forces in the Valtellina, but their plans never got a chance to came into being and the area became much more well known for its wine culture. As noted, In Valtellina, the wines are mostly made from Chiavennasca (the local name of Nebbiolo) and can and do rival the best from Piemonte. As mentioned before, Rivetti & Lauro, which my friend Giuseppi Cossu introduced me to and provided his own bottle of this one, are on my list of Valtellina producers to follow, along with another new favorite, Tenuta Scerscé, as well as long time favorites Nino Negri, Nobili, Alfio Mozzi, Conti Sertoli Salis and in particular Ar. Pe Pe (Arpepe), which are a bit easier to find here in the states.
($45 Est.) 94 Points, grapelive