ARPEPE Sassella Stella Retica 2022

Ar.Pe.Pe. is a family winery in Sondrio, working Nebbiolo on the terraced south-facing slopes of the Valtellina Superiore in Alpine Lombardy. The Sassella subzone sits on fractured sandstone and slate, poor stony soils that drain fast and force the vines to root deep, while the mountain setting brings a wide day-to-night temperature swing that slows ripening and holds acidity. That long cool season is what gives Alpine Nebbiolo its perfume and its firm backbone. After fermentation the wine is aged in large barrels, where slow oxygen exchange rounds the tannins and knits the fruit to savoury development without adding obvious wood. The colour is a translucent garnet. The nose leads with sour cherry and red currant over dried rose, tobacco and forest earth, with time in barrel adding leather. The palate is medium bodied and taut, with high acidity, fine grippy tannin and a long savoury finish that stays fresh. Serve at 16 to 18 degrees and decant an hour ahead. It suits roast game, braised beef and mushroom dishes.