2021 Rovellotti, Colline Novaresi Vespolina DOC “Ronco al Maso” Alto Piemonte, Italy.
I’ve long been a fan of these Rovellotti wines, but had focused most on the Nebbiolo mostly, so it was fun to check out their lovely and easy drinking Vespolina, a local varietal to this part of the Alto Piemonte, which I did recently and I can report that it was even better than I had hoped and it is definitely a wine I’ll grab again. The Vespolina, usually used in blending, is a dark garnet and ruby hued wine with a silky medium bodied palate of black raspberry, cherry and plum fruits, along with a smooth mouth feel, a background of wild herbs, delicate florals, orange zest and subtle earthiness. The winery itself is part of the Ricetto castle of Ghemme and is literally part of the town’s walls, with deep cold underground cellars, and the family says there are maybe 200 people in the world with the Rovellotti last name and 66 of them live here, imbedded in the local history.The Rovellotti Colline Novaresi Vespolina saw a fermentation in stainless steel cuves and its aging is in very old large Botti, Slavonian oak casks, for just three months, with the goal being to preserve transparency and clarity, as seen here. The passion of Antenello Rovellotti extends from his ancient cellars to his vineyards, and has worked decades with the University of Milan to re-establish the natural environmental and ecological balance of his terroir and practice the best organic methods. Rovellotti’s Vespolina is sourced from a tiny plot in the Ronco al Maso vineyard, with full southern exposure in the commune of Ghemme itself.
Rovellotti is a wonderful small producer based in Ghemme, that I first started drinking back in around 2012 with their 2006 vintage, which is in the Alto Piedmonte region of Northwestern Italy that specializes in Nebbiolo, or Spanna as it is also known as in this area. Their with top notch version of Nebbiolo “Chioso dei Pomi” a Ghemme DOCG bottling being their signature bottling, but I also love the awesome value priced Valplazza Colline Novaresi Nebbiolo and this fabulous all Vespolina Ronco al Maso. The Colline Novaresi, as mentioned before here, is a small area in the Alto Piedmonte that includes 26 tiny villages and municipalities not far from Milan and Lake Maggiiore with a collection of local varietals including Nebbiolo (aka Spanna), Uva Rara (aka Bonarda), Barbera, Vespolina, Croatina red grapes and Erbaluce, the ancient native white grape. The Colline Novaresi appellation was founded when a group of growers brandied together to form a DOC in 1994 with top Crus like Ghemme, Sizzano, Boca and Fara getting full DOCGs. The Rovellotti family has a long history in the Ghemme region going back to the 15th century and continues with Paolo and Antonello Rovellotti now running this small estate. They have been growing their grapes with sustainable and mostly organic methods since the 1980s and their Baraggiola Valplazza vineyard is planted almost exclusively to Nebbiolo, along with some Vespolina. The Rovellotti Vespolina is a seriously charming wine and made to be drunk young, while the Nebbiolo offerings tend to need a bit of time to reveal their best qualities, and as noted here before this once lesser known region is really an exciting place to discover.
($28 Est.) 92 Points, grapelive