Terazzi Alti Sassela - 2021 Riserva
Picture taken somewhere in Stuttgart
When most people think of Nebbiolo, they think of Barolo and Barbaresco. But if one leaves the well-trodden paths of the Langhe and heads north, into the high-altitude, significantly cooler Lombardy—more precisely to Valtellina—one enters a totally enchanted, incredibly fascinating wine world. There, called Chiavennasca (no, this is not a consciousness-expanding drug, at least not in the medical sense), the king grape Nebbiolo once again unfolds a very distinctive, highly ethereal style.
The wine was poured using Coravin.
Nose
Finest fruit essence of blackberries and strawberries. Very Burgundian; one immediately thinks of a Gevrey-Chambertin. Fresh, earthy porcini and button mushrooms give the bouquet depth, and subtle star anise notes in buttery cream lend the composition a very distinctive, interesting touch. 2021 vintage, and one already has ethereal, tertiary aromas. If Barolo were to symbolize a heavier Dostoevsky, this would be a romantic, playful Tolstoy. Fantastic!
Palate
Sour cherries galore. No raspberry anymore—the cherry dominates. Added to that are fine herbs à la thyme and rosemary. The first sip brings plenty of drive, but even after several tastings it is never fat. The fine acid structure combined with form structure are all the more reminiscent of the Côte d’Or, while a pronounced minerality of crushed stones in turn recalls a crisp Ravera from Novello. An elegant mystery—complex, with the highest aging potential. That it already gives pleasure now is testimony to the fantastic quality.
Rating
The name Terazzi Alti is programmatic here. According to the distributor Freiheit Vinothek , these wines grow at 300–600 m altitude in vineyards with gradients of up to 70% in places. That competes directly with the steep-slope Riesling sites on the Mosel, which already rank among the steepest vineyards in Europe. I bow to the courageous winemakers from Terrazzi Alti and am grateful for this exciting discovery before the end of the year.
