Walter Massa: The Timorasso Messiah

When I was a kid growing up, I never imagined that one day I would be writing glowingly about Massa. But, here I am today, and that is exactly what I am doing. And the Massa of whom I speak? Walter Massa, the savior of Colli Tortonesi's Timorasso cultivar. The story has oft been told but I cannot treat Timorasso wines without a revisit. I meet that responsibility herein.

The Story

The Timorasso variety is native to the hills and valleys of southeast Piemonte but, given its (i) unpredictable results and (ii) farming difficulties, most of the region's farmers were replacing it with Cortese in the late 1970s (Cortese had higher yields and Gavi was all the rage).

The Massa family is also "native" to the Colli Tortonesi area, owning a family farm that dates its origin to 1879. In Massa's early years, the farm was built around a thriving fruit business and less-profitable vineyards. Walter inherited the vineyard when he was 30 years old.

Cortese was the dominant white variety planted on the estate but Walter was dissatisfied with its performance. The microclimate was not ripening the grapes adequately, leading to low-quality wines. He wanted to produce a high-quality white wine and embarked on a journey to establish whether Timorasso could fill that role. 

The journey began in 1987 when Walter filled 580 bottles of his first vintage with grapes sourced from 400 vines scattered around the family vineyard. The results were good enough to encourage further exploration.

In 1990 he planted Timorasso vines in a 1.4-ha plot called Costa del Vento. This vineyard had steep, south-facing slopes sitting at elevations ranging between 250 and 300 meters. Some of the vines that he had secured for planting were over 100 years old and ungrafted.

Walter vinified small batches for a number of years, testing different techniques, and was eventually convinced as to the viability and ageability of the wine. Over the course of the testing he discovered that the wine became better the longer it rested in the bottle. His first commercial vintage was in 1995.

But Massa was not only interested in Timorasso for his own account. He began to proselytize as regards the variety to anyone that would listen. Daniele Ricci worked as his understudy and acolyte and learned everything that he could from Massa before going off and founding his own winery. Elisa Semino, now of La Colombera, did her thesis on the Timorasso variety and, according to Walter, worked at his estate in 2000 while collecting data for her study. After graduation, Elisa and her dad were among the first five Colli Tortonesi wineries to heed Walter's Timorasso call.

Walter went on to mentor a large number of the small farmers in the region who saw his success and wanted to replicate it in their environments. They formed an association organized around Massa's production principles and met regularly to compare notes and taste each other's wines. He has also extended his knowledge and assistance to major Langhe-based players who are seeking to enter the market, embracing the mantra that a rising tide lifts all boats.

Vineyards

Walter initially had 400 vines scatterd throughout his property but planted the dedicated, 1.4-ha Timorasso vineyard Costa del Vento in 1990. He has further expanded his Timorasso base in the intervening years.

The Boscogrosso vineyard above is also the one of the source vineyards for the Vietti Timorasso offering. 

Massa farms sustainably, treating the vines only with copper and sulfur. Timorasso is subject to rot so he removes every other bud to improve ventilation through the vines.

Timorasso is very productive, necessitating a number of pass-throughs during the growing season as part of a vineyard-management regime. Walter makes three of four passes: green harvest, removal of shoots below the main shoot, and further load-reduction when ripening begins.

Wines

Walter currently produces five 100% Timorasso wines plus a number of red wines. The Timorassi include a Piccolo Derthona (grapes from Boscogrosso and Sigala vineyards), a Derthona (grapes from Costa del Venti Costiolo, and Sterpi vineyards), and three cru-wines (Costa del Vento, Stirpi, and Montecitorio). The production regime for the wines are, in general, as follows:

• Hand-harvesting
• Maceration on the skins in concrete vessels for 48 to 60 hours without sulfuring
• Soft pressing
• Fermentation with indigenous yeasts in stainless steel tanks (20 - 25ºC)
• Spontaneous malolactic fermentation after temperature reduced to 10 - 18ºC
• Wine aged in stainless steel tanks for one year (with batonnage)
• Light filtration prior to bottling
• Minimum 6 months bottle aging (Derthona spends 18 months in-house before release on the market while the cru wines are in residence for 24 months.)

Writing about the Massa wines in Wine Spectator, Kerin O'Keefe states thusly:

When young, Vigneti Massa's full-bodied Timorasso wines boast alluring floral scents, creamy apricot and apple flavors, and bright acidity. As they age, they gain in mineral complexity and boast dried fruit, almond and honeyed notes seamlessly balanced with fresh acidity. I've tasted numerous vintages over the years, and the wines evolve beautifully for at least fifteen years. As the vines get older, these superb whites may increase their aging potential.

Tasting Selected Vigneti Massa Wines

I tasted the 2018 Piccolo Derthona and the 2017 Derthona as input to this post. These are the only Timorasso wines that I have tasted to date that are equipped with screwtop closures.

The Piccolo was much clearer than the straw color presented in the Derthona. Stone fruit, sea spray, minerality, spice, menthol, and a hint of burnt orange on the nose. Much more powerful than the LA Spinetta Piccolo on the palate. Lime and lime skin, green tamarind, minerality, salinity, and lip-smacking tannins. Drying finish.

Tasted on the day following, sweet white fruit, tempered by a grey slatiness, pea soup, menthol, and spice. Weighty, bracing lime on the palate along with salinity, spice, and a leaden minerality. Bright. Lively. Lengthy finish.

The Derthona was much more viscuous in the glass than was the Piccolo. Salinity, herbs, and savory notes on the palate. Power and intensity. Full-bodied, with bright acidity and dried rocks. Lemon curd. Persistence. Long, drying finish hinting at the promise of the wine.

Tasted on the following day, bright appley notes, stone fruits, slatey minerality, and talcum powder on the nose. Weighty salinity along with lime, lime skin, and spice on the palate.

©Wine -- Mise en abyme