Alcohol: 14%
Grape(s): 100% Nebbiolo
Localization: Lombardy, Italy
Tasting Notes: Ruby red in color, Dirupi's Valtellina Superiore expresses an ethereal bouquet to the nose, which gives way to pleasant notes of red and cherry flowers. On the palate it is fresh and pleasant with good harmony.
Notes: Macerated with skins and seeds 25-30 days in stainless steel, each plot is fermented separately.
Aged 1 year in Allier French oak chosen for its fine grain and slow micro-oxidation.
A higher elevation is what makes this wine a Superiore. It tastes of a beautiful balance of freshness and tannins which come from the seeds . Davide and Pierpaolo evaluate the skins, seeds, and flesh of the grapes by biting into them when determining maturity and when to harvest.
Food Pairing: Excellent in combination with soft cheeses, it is also suitable as an inviting aperitif.
The Domain: Dirupi is the brainchild of Davide “Faso” Fasolini and Pierpaolo Di Franco, two of the most energetic and talented young winemakers in Italy today, located in the Lombardy region of Valtellina, just south of the Swiss border. Davide and Pierpaolo played basketball together during primary school and then reunited while at University where they both studied winemaking. These are two of the craziest, most passionate, most lovable winemakers I have ever met and as a result, their wines are magic. When they started Dirupi, they had no land, no winery, and no vineyards. They had to convince families with old, overgrown, neglected plots in some of the top growing sites to rent land to them. They cobbled together enough plots to begin work and then set about restoring and replanting their rented sites. They worked during the week on the vineyards and worked on the weekends in cocktail bars to pay for it all. Some projects take longer than others to put together...you simply cannot argue with the results here.
The slopes immediately above the town of Sondrio in the Grumello sub-zone and the slopes between Sondrio and Tresevio in the sub-zone of Inferno, both in the top five of quality wine-growing areas producing Chiavennasca, the local name for Nebbiolo, in Valtellina. Elevations range from 450-600masl with diverse exposures. Vineyards are terraced on steep slopes so harvest is manual. In a typical vintage picking of the lower vineyards starts October 10 and the higher sites in early November.
