In the Via del Buon Consiglio 4, where Sondrio meets Montagna in Valtellina, at the foot of the Grumello, the vines seem to swallow up the underground cellar. Here the Nebbiolo from the Alps goes back into the womb of the mountain that generated it. At 370 metres above sea level, the vineyard extends towards the city, over the Ca’ Bianca district, where the terraces have dry-stone walls in excess of 7 metres. When the considerable temperature variations in the autumn begin to form the aromatic profile of the grapes, the skin becomes thicker and the mineral salts come together. We need the right level of acidity to create the Valtellina Superiore Grumello Riserva Buon Consiglio DOCG. Long maceration times in wooden vats, even over 100 days if necessary, in large barrels for up to 60 months, or even more – in other words, for the right waiting time, in silence, in the dark, in the Burgundy bottle. It will surprise you as you drink it on a late summer’s evening, taking your mind back t
"Wine is a labor of love" We so often hear this phrase from winemakers, but there is perhaps no producer or wine that epitomizes this statement better than Ar.Pe.Pe. in Valtellina. It is here in the mountainous alpine region of Lombardia, that Nebbiolo, known locally as Chiavennasca, clingingly grows up to a dizzying 700 of meters altitude for a truly unique terroir-driven expression of Italy's noble varietal. At first glance, you feel you might need a mountain climbing apparatus or some serious Velcro just to walk the vineyards. This is truly extreme viticulture; these are heights with angles of steepness that challenge and surpass those of Hermitage, Priorat, or even that
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