2017 La Spinetta, Barbaresco DOCG, Vursu Vigneto Valeirano, Piemonte, Italy.
It’s always a pleasure to enjoy a bottle of the La Spinetta cru Barbarescos, so this dark garnet/brick red hued 2017 Valeirano was a hugely welcome wine at a recent wine dinner and it was stunning with luxurious layering of fruit, classic Nebbiolo flavors and a beautiful seamless velvety texture. The rich palate shows of nicely evolved black raspberry, damson plum, candied cherry, black fig and grilled orange fruits, along with subtle truffle, black licorice, sweet smokiness, cedar, mineral tones, tobacco leaf, saddle leather, delicate herbal essence and floral incense. The Valeirano cru, only 6 hectares, with calcareous soils and a southwestern exposure, is located in the municipality of Treiso and interestingly, as the winery notes, the vineyard’s soil is mainly of marine origin, similar to of those in the Serralunga d’Alba area in the Barolo zone, making this a very distinctive, structured and elegant example of Barbaresco. This sandy, limestone and clay Cru has mature vines which average over 55 years old, which adds to the depth and complexity of this very desirable Nebbiolo that sees all sustainable farming methods and very careful vineyard selections of the grapes. The maceration and alcoholic fermentation of the Valeirano is done in temperature-controlled vats for an average period of 14-15 days. After which the must is pressed and racked over to wood casks where malolactic fermentation is completed. La Spinetta matures its cru Barbarescos in French oak barrels, of which it says 20% are new and the balance is aged in used, usually 2nd passage barrels, with the wine getting between 20-22 months of aging. Finally, the Valeirano is bottle-aged for about 6 months before being allowed out of the cellars to the waiting world. I count myself lucky to have had the opportunity to taste with Giorgio Rivetti on numerous occasions and he remains one of my favorite personalities in the wine world and I’ve a huge fan of his wines, and I could never live without his Barbera Ca’ di Pian!
One of my favorite producers in Piemonte, La Spinetta was originally formed in the beginning of the 1960s by Giuseppe Rivetti, nicknamed ‘Pin’, and his wife, Lidia, who were mostly known as dedicated farmers and Moscato was their main grape, but after Pin’s three sons and daughter, Carlo, Bruno, Giorgio, and Giovanna, took over the winery reins in 1977 they started producing their own labeled wines and the world began to take notice. It wasn’t until the early 1980s that they started making red wines, led by their fabulous Barbera, which is one of my all time go to wines, after which, in the mid 1990s they added their Cru Barbaresco vineyards, which La Spinetta is best known for. Their first Barbaresco, Gallina was created in 1995, it was followed by Starderi in 1996 and finally Valeirano in 1997. The three Barbaresco crus are each made exactly the same way in the cellar, but are clearly and uniquely individual in nature. Now with Giorgio at the helm, La Spinetta has quality vines throughout the Langhe, as well as in Tuscany (Casanova della Spinetta), like Gaja does. Plus Giorgio added a top Barolo parcel, Campè, which debuted with the 2000 vintage, which I got a chance to taste with Giorgio in cask sample form in around 2003. Both the Gallina and Valeirano are wonderful wines, but it is always that Starderi that moves me just that bit extra, and it remains one of my guilty pleasures when I can afford it. I was a little concerned by the ripe and warm 2017 vintage, which was difficult in Piemonte, but my fears were wiped away by the class and seductive qualities of this wine. Andrea Rivetti, Giogio’s son has thrived at La Spinetta’s cellars, especially after impressing his father with a heavenly Sauternes style and quality sweet wine, which is seriously delicious stuff. La Spinetta has thrills throughout the collection, but certainly collectors will be well served by chasing down the cru Barbarescos and the Campè Barolo, while enthusiasts on a more realistic budget will be excited by the Langhe Nebbiolo (from Starderi), the mentioned Ca’ di Pian Barbera d’Asti Superiore DOCG and the Nebbiolo and Barbera Blend Monferrato Rosso “Pin” DOC, all of which are outstanding wines.
($125 to 175 Est.) 94 Points, grapelive