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Friday, May 7, 2021

Reis Derthona: On the trail of a six-person, non-native, Timorasso startup

They have known each other since high school (and, for two of them, since they were five years old). They have lived and studied together in Turin and are familiar with each others strengths and quirks. They have grown up around, and fully expected to be involved in, the production of wines made from Nebbiolo, Barbera, and Dolcetto. They all (with one exception) have day jobs at Langhe or Monferrato wineries and share a passion for the wines of their respective regions. 

They decided to do a project as a group and wanted it to be something challenging. Given cost and availability constraints, it most likely could not be in Barolo. 

It was within this context that the six friends decided to embark on a venture to make a wine (white) from an unfamiliar grape (Timorasso) in an unfamiliar region (Colli Tortonesi). Thus was the Reis Derthona Timorasso born.

The Timorasso venture is a testament to the friendship as well as the potential of the Timorasso from Colli Tortonesi. The friends are:
  • Simone Revello -- third generation of Barolo producer Revello Fratelli
  • Francesco Bianco -- Bovio
  • Luca Monti - Brovia
  • Luca Amerio -- Scarpa
  • Matteo Laiolo -- Vinchio-Vaglio Serra
  • Enrico Pezzuto -- currently finishing up a Masters in Enology.

Anna Savino (Proprietor, Barolo Wine Club) and I sat with Simone, Francesco, and Luca Monti for an InstagramLive Chat (on Wednesday past) to gain their perspective on the challenges and decisioning associated with launching a startup wine project under the conditions described above.


Being unfamiliar with the variety, the team had a lot to learn; and they had to learn fast. They had to travel to the region to meet with, and pick the brains of, some of the producers in the region. Further, they had to taste as many of the wines as they could as soon as they could. They were connected with Alessandro Davico of Pomodolce by a Tortonesi Hills resident who worked in the La Morra area and they hightailed it down to the region to meet him. They were well received.

Alessandro hosted them at his restaurant and invited Walter Massa to join them to provide advice and direction. The team was in awe. According to Simone, this was akin to them, as unknowns, visiting Langhe for the first time and having Angelo Gaja or Roberto Conterno brought in to give them advice. 

They had the opportunity to taste some of the old wines from Massa (Costa del Vento) and Pomodolce and those convinced them to go with a Timorasso wine as their first venture.

The easiest, least expensive way to launch the project was to purchase fruit. To that end they began a search for a young (more relatable) farmer who would understand their project. Alessandrio assisted in the search and they eventually settled on a 35-year-old farmer whose core business was fruit, rather than Timorasso, and who understood their objectives.

During the growing season for the initial vintage, they visited the farm almost every day -- to the consternation of family and friends -- because they wanted to see everything and learn everything. There is a lot to learn because the variety is difficult to work both in the vineyard and in the cellar. Harvest was complicated and challenging but, luckily, they had the assistance of Alessandrio. They are proud of how things went.

As regards the Timorasso growing environment, there is a constant wind in Colli Tortonesi, a marked departure from the Langhe. Another key difference is the relatively small number of vineyards on the slopes and the range of agricultural products in evidence (Seeing the slopes bereft of vineyards inspired them to visualize the potential for growth in the region and a place for them therein.). What is similar is the presence of Tortonian and Serravalian soils in both regions (According to Simone, structure in the Langhe and Colli Tortonesi wines are directly related to the soils in which the grapes are grown.). Simone sees a greater opportunity for organic farming in Colli Tortonesi due to lower incidences of downy mildew and odium. Ventilation is very important as the grape is susceptible to rot. As such, spacing is managed overall and some leaves were removed weeks prior to the harvest.

The grapes for the first vintage were sourced as shown in the chart below.


In constructing their wine, the team wanted to (i) respect the traditions of the area and (ii) reflect their learnings. The wines that they had tasted during their evaluation of the area were older and, as such, always open. They wanted to make a wine that was balanced in terms of body and acidity. Towards that end, they followed the suggestions of Massa and Davico. The grapes were hand-harvested and macerated for 12 hours in stainless steel tanks. The must was then soft-pressed and aged in tanks on the lees. Batonnage was applied based on taste-determined necessity.

At this point in the chat we turned to actually tasting the initial vintage of the wine, the 2019 Reis Derthona Colli Tortonesi Timorasso. Simone saw it as complex on the nose, with yeast and floral notes, and having a full, round mouthfeel, with abundant acidity, minerality, and salinity. In addition, I noted salinity, savoriness, sweet white fruit, green herbs, intense spice, and mint on the nose. It was broad-based and approachable on the palate, with salinity, umami, citrus, and minerality fronting a textured, lengthy finish.


One of the striking aspects of this wine is the label, designed and painted by Luca Monti, an artist in his own right. According to Luca, the label represents "the relationship between the roots and the other elements that we find in the vineyard. The black element represents the roots, the blue one the water, the green one the leaves and the grass, and the yellow one the sun. I wanted to try to make a label in a different style, an abstract style that I had never tried before. This effort matched with our project in that we were doing something that we had never tried before."

The team sees Timorasso pricing as still very affordable. Simone reflected that it is reminiscent of the way things were in the Langhe in the 1990s in terms of price/quality ratio. 

In terms of the future of the region, the team sees Timorasso remaining an artisanal wine. They are currently members of the Consorzio.

Their 2020 vintage is in the works. Due to the Covid pandemic, they visited the farm much less than for the 2019 vintage but they have also become more trusting of the farmer.

This is a great team of guys and you can only admire their inventiveness, industriousness, courage, and resolve. This was a very good initial vintage, something that gives the drinker a reason to keep coming back. I think we will continue to hear from these guys, in this region, for a while.

©Wine -- Mise en abyme

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