Daniele Ricci: From Milan Toll Collector to Timorasso disruptor

Colli Tortonesi Timorasso will be "the next big thing" to emerge from Piemonte and it owes its current position and future potential to the pioneering work of Walter Massa. Massa was not only interested in Timorasso for his own account: "He began to proselytize as regards the variety to anyone who would listen." Daniele Ricci worked as his understudy and acolyte and learned everything that he could before going off and leveraging that knowledge into his own enterprise. I explore Ricci and his wines in this post.

The Backstory

The Ricci Timorasso story goes back to 1929 when the grandparents of Daniele Ricci (Carlo and Clementina) bought Cascina San Leto, land ensconced within an amphitheater of vineyards close to the center of Costa Vescovato. The new owners planted vineyards (6 to 7 ha) and wheat and embarked on cattle-rearing.

During Carlo's stewardship, Timorasso production in Colli Tortonesi declined as farmers shifted to Cortese (more productive) or left farming completely. Carlo, however, bucked both these trends, remaining faithful to the vine and passing it down to successive generations. This was a part of the patrimony when Daniele took control of the estate as a 3rd-generation farmer after a stint as a toll collector on the Italian highway system.

The original Costa Vescovato estate currently sits at 15 ha, 11 of which are planted to vines and 6.5 ha of which are dedicated to named vineyards. In addition to the vines, the estate is planted to small quantities of ancient grains, an orchard, and a vegetable garden. The farmhouse is also resident on this property.

Daniele and his son Mattia secured 8 ha of land in Carezzano in 2022 and immediately planted 1 ha to Timorasso. 

The chart below shows the Ricci holdings in the two Colli Tortonesi communes. Named vineyards are described in colored rectangles.

Formation and Evolution of the Ricci Wine-View

Ricci worked as Mazda’s understudy before going off and planting the 1.5 ha Vigna di Carlo at Cascina San Leto. Walter went on to mentor a large number of the small farmers in the region and they, in turn, formed an association organized around his production principles. They met regularly to compare notes and taste each others wines.

Massa’s  principles, at that time, were as follows:

• Hand harvesting
• Maceration on the skins 
• Soft pressing
• Fermentation with indigenous yeasts in stainless steel tanks
• Spontaneous malolactic fermentation after temperatures reduced to 10 - 18 degrees C
• Wine aged for 1 year in stainless steel tanks (with batonnage)
• Light filtration prior to bottling
• Minimum 6 months bottle aging.

Given his early association with Walter, it is more likely than not that Ricci adhered to these principles early in his winemaking career.

The Colli Tortonesi formula was a key element in Timorasso’s success. The success, in turn, led to (i) new market entrants and (ii) some of the disciples changing the formula and profile of the Timorasso wine in order to place their own stamp on the market. Daniele Ricci was one of these change agents.

Daniele has great respect for the vine and life and sought to “produce varietal wines that are representative of tradition and terroir while working as naturally as possible in both the vineyard and the cellar.” This is manifested in the vineyard by organic farming. He practiced organic farming beginning in 1999 and became certified (Suole e salute) in 2017. But it is in the cellar that Ricci has shown the widest divergence (the disrupting bit) from the traditional recipe with practices such as:

• Long maceration on skins
• Exclusive use of indigenous yeasts
• Refining in underground amphorae
• No filtration
• No fining
• Minuscule sulfur.

Daniele Ricci crafts Timorasso wines from calcareous clay marl vineyards planted in 1986, 1989, 1992, and 1996. His traditional production method is fermentation in stainless steel followed by elevage in stainless steel or untreated oak or acacia barrels. In the case of his Io Camino Da Solo wine, however, the grapes are macerated for 100 days in amphora before transfer to untoasted oak barrels for 12 months aging.

Ricci’s application of these techniques are explicated in his wine portfolio as captured in the chart below.

In addition to the wines shown above, Ricci also makes two sparkling wines dedicated to his Grandmother Clementina. The first is a classic method sparkling wine from 100% Timorasso grapes. It is zero dosage and aged 36 months on the lees. The base wine is a blend of wine macerated for 90 days on skins and wine fermented and aged in acacia barrels in effect a blend of Giallo di Costa and San Leto). The second sparkling wine is a Rosé which has all the characteristics of the wine above except that 5% Barbera is added to the blend and the wine is aged for 24 months on the lees.

I tasted a 2019 vintage of the Derthona recently.

Beautiful brown-orange color attesting to the 3-day skin contact. Derthona nose. Sage and herbs ascendant. Elegant. Wax, spice, peach, lychee, and sago porridge also detected on the nose. Bright acidity with orange-tangerine, drying metal and pepper spice on the palate. Medium weight. Balanced.

©Wine -- Mise en abyme

Il Poggio di Gavi: Another Gavi-DOCG-based producer of Colli Tortonesi Timorasso wine

Wines from the Timorasso variety have historically been the preserve of "traditional" Colli Tortonesi producers but, as the potential of the variety has become more apparent, "non-local" producers have jumped into the fray.

One such entrant is Il Poggio di Gavi, a winery located in the heart of Gavi DOCG. I report on this estate, and its Timorasso wine, herein.

The Rovereto-Hills property encompassing Il Poggio di Gavi was initially purchased by the father of Franca Odone in 1919 as a family hunting lodge. The lodge was eventually passed on to Franca who cleared the land to plant vineyards. She began making wine from those grapes in 1976. In 2003 she passed the control of the estate on to her daughter Francesca.

The estate makes a number of sparkling, white, and red wines from grapes grown on the 3-ha Gavi estate but it is the Colli Tortonesi offering that is of interest for this post.

The estate owns a 2-ha plot in Colli Tortonesi's Val Borbera, a zone characterized by:

• Elevations ranging between 400 and 600 m
• The highest-altitude vineyards in Colli Tortonesi
• Significant diurnal temperature variation.
• Marly clay and silty marl soils (Lower Oligocene origins).

The Il Poggio plot, dedicated to Timorasso, resides on calcareous clay soils at elevations ranging between 500 and 750 m. The 20-year-old vines have south and southeast exposures.

The first wine from this vineyard was produced from grapes harvested in 2018. The grapes are hand-harvetsed in small crates for transport to the cellar where they are vinified in stainless steel tanks using indigenous yeasts. The wines are aged in steel tanks. The first vintage yielded 83 cases.

I recently tasted the 2019 edition of this wine.

Like most of the Timorasso wines from Gavi producers that I have tasted, this wine was approachable up front. It had a Timorasso-specific, aromatic nose with notes of honeyed wax, sage, pepper spice, sweet white fruit, green and dried herbs, and a marine character. A complex, layered nose.

Weighty on the palate with lime skin, lime-infused salinity, chalky minerality, and coal. Chalky minerality becomes prevalent with the passage of time. A lengthy finish. 

Retains the complexity on the nose but more linear on the palate over time. Unlike the best Timorasso wines, the palate does not transit well to the following day.

©Wine -- Mise en abyme

Piccolo Derthona: A Colli Tortonesi Timorasso entry point for the impatient

Timorasso is a notoriously difficult grape to grow. And your troubles are not over once you get it into the cellar: it requires extended vessel and bottle aging before it is truly ready to be released on the market. Making Timorasso wine is expensive when you factor in the additional vineyard labor costs and the time, material, and opportunity costs associated with extended aging. Producers wanted a mechanism whereby they could realize some offsetting revenue while they awaited the release of the Derthona and thus was born the concept of the Piccolo Derthona, an earlier-release, lower-cost, 100% Timorasso wine.

I have previously characterized the Piccolo Derthona as being akin to a Rosso di Montalcino but recently came across a more pointed reference: "The name, Piccolo Derthona, is inspired by what is done in French Chablis, a great territory for white wines, where the Petit Chablis is produced with the same goal, that of creating a distinctly fresh and pleasant wine, compared to the richer and more structured Chablis, in our case the Derthona."

The Colli Tortonesi Consorzio has submitted an application to the appropriate authorities for the designation of a Derthona sub-appellation within the Colli Tortonesi DOC covering the production of Timorasso vines within its borders. The submittal covers a Riserva (released a minimum of 2.5 years after harvest), a Derthona, and a Piccolo Derthona (both requiring a minimum of 1 year aging). The difference between a Derthona and a Piccolo Derthona will be based on quality parameters as well as tasting panel assessments.

The picture below show the eight Piccolo Derthonas currently produced from Colli Tortonesi Timorasso grapes. 

Piccolo Derthona wines currently produced in
Colli Tortonesi (Picture courtesy of Conrad Mattern)

The producers currently utilize a mix of reduced aging time (Pomodolce, Boveri Giacomo, Massa, Cantina di Tortona), lower quality/younger grapes (Repetto), or both (Canavero Luca) to distinguish the Piccolo Derthona from the Derthona. The proposed Derthona appellation calls for a similar aging period for both Piccolo Derthona and Derthona so producers will either have to declassify grapes, use grapes from younger vines, or use grapes from lower-quality production sites for the Piccolo wine. 

It should be noted that extending the aging period of Piccolo to one year will increase its aging costs and will also cut out an early revenue source for producers who had historically aged the wine for less than one year. 

It should be noted that only one of the big-name producers - La Spinetta -- currently offers a Piccolo Derthona and that none of the non-Langhe outsiders do. It will be interesting to see whether this state of affairs continues into the future. 

I personally have been concerned that a wine drinker encountering Piccolo as her/his intro to Timorasso may wonder what the fuss is all about and not take the time to explore the variety further. 

Below I describe the individual offerings in some more detail.

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Pomodolce Piccolo Derthona

Pomodolce farms 3 or 4 ha (depending on source) in the Montemarrone municipality of Val Curone. The estate, established in 2005, sources its estate grapes from the areas of Fontanino, Pomodolce, and Barone. The vineyards -- average elevation 380 m -- are sited on calcareous clayey soils and are exposed to the southwest. Vines are planted at 3500 vines/ha and are farmed using organic principles.

The grapes are fermented in stainless steel tanks and aged in-place for 8 months. In contrast, the estate's two Derthona wines are each agaed for 10 months.

Boveri Giacomo Piccolo Derthona

The grapes for this wine are sourced from a Costa Vescovato plot which has been farmed by the family for decades but which has been planted to Timorasso beginning in 2013. Vines are trained Guyot with the between-row spaces grassed.

The grapes are hand-harvested and then soft-pressed with the must clarified prior to fermentation. The wine remains on the lees for 5 - 6 months and is then bottled in the spring following harvest.

Canevaro Luca Piccolo Derthona

This 8- (or 9-) ha estate is located in the municipality of Avolasca at elevations ranging between 300 and 350 m. The vines are farmed organically with grapes for the Piccolo Derthona sourced from younger vines (A total of 1.5 ha is dedicated to Timorasso vines).

The grapes are hand-harvested and soft-pressed prior to fermentation in stainless steel tanks. The wines are aged for 5 months on the lees, with batonnage, and are filtered prior to bottling.

Vigneti Repetto Piccolo Derthona

The Piccolo Derthona is a new wine for the estate. Gian Paolo has described his Piccolo Derthona as "an entry-level wine made from young vines and/or lower quality grapes. This wine has less structure, less body, and a lower price point than the (estate's) Derthona. It exhibits freshness and is suitable for a wine bar."

I tasted the 2019 version of the wine and found saline green olive, a hint of sweet white fruit, and spice on the nose. It was very broad on the palate (wide open, I would say) with underripe citrus fruit and hints of salinity. No hint of the structure that is notable for this variety. The heat on the chest stands in contrast to the 12.5% stated alcohol on the label. Mid-weight, with average length.

Vigneti Massa Piccolo Derthona

The grapes for the Massa Piccolo Derthona are sourced from the Boscogrosso and Sigala vineyards. The production regime for Massa 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.

I tasted the 2018 Piccolo Derthona. Stone fruit, sea spray, minerality, spice, menthol, and a hint of burnt orange on the nose. Much more powerful on the palate than is the case for the the La Spinetta. Lime and lime skin, green tamarind, minerality, salinity, and lip-smacking tannins. Drying finish.

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.

Cantina di Tortona Piccolo Derthona

Grapes for this wine are sourced from Avolasca, Vigguzolo, and Vho where they are grown at elevations ranging between 250 and 450 m in clay and sandy soils with south and southwest orientations.

The grapes are subjected to a 6-hour maceration in an inert environment prior to alcoholic fermentation. The wine is aged for 6 months in continuously suspended fine lees.

Terralba Piccolo Derthona

No information on this wine was available from traditional sources. Conrad Mattern reached out to the proprietor but he had not yet responded at press time.

La Spinetta Piccolo Derthona

La Spinetta purchased 5 ha of land distributed between Montegiocco, Monleale, and Montemarzino for its entry into Colli Tortonesi Timorasso production. The soils are calcareous and clay at elevations ranging between 350 and 400 m and with southeast and southwest exposures.

The grapes are hand-harvested and fermented naturally in stainless steel tanks. La Spinetta's wine ages for 8 months on the lees after which it is filtered and bottled. The wine spends another 3 months in bottle before its release on the market. 

The 2019 Piccolo Derthona was La Spinetta's inaugural Timorasso vintage.  Neither the nose or palate yelled "Tortonesi Timorasso." This Piccolo was relatively thin.

©Wine -- Mise en abyme

A case for Colli Tortonesi Timorasso as "the next big thing" (out of Piemonte)

Colli Tortonesi Timorasso wine is "the next big thing," a conclusion at which I have arrived while conducting an ongoing deep dive into the variety, its history, and the players. In my view, Colli Tortonesi producers have, with their Timorasso efforts, developed the critical components, the raw material, necessary for the wine to gain consideration but it is the entrance of the "non-local" producers, and the potential that they unleash, that elevates the region and the wine from "great potential" to "the next best thing." My arguments are summarized in the chart below and detailed in the text following.

The Critical Components

A Heralded White Wine 

What is a Timorasso wine? According to Elisa Semino of La Colombera, the Timorasso variety yields a great, long-lived, mineral wine. She loves the minerality that comes with Timorasso wine, a minerality which, in her view, comes from the grape (the sapidity, conversely, comes from the soil). According to Marco Volpi of Cantine Volpi, Timorasso produces a structured, mineral, aged wine which evolves further in the bottle, demonstrating increasing levels of a honeyed character. If picked optimally, the variety will produce alcohol levels ranging between 13% and 16%. 

Wines made from Timorasso grapes are highly acclaimed. Kerin O' Keefe (one of today's leading Italian wine experts) refers to Timorasso as "one of the most exciting wines coming out of Italy right now" boasting "more depth, body and complexity than many Italian whites." Berry Bros and Rudd, a historical UK wine retailer, tags the wine as "one of the most exciting autochthonous grape varieties to surface in recent years." Pietro Oddero, of the joint venture Monilià, thinks that "Timorasso is the most interesting variety in Italy." These, and many other such laudatory comments, have been directed at wine made from the Timorasso variety.

Key to the current standard of Timorasso wine quality are: (i) a dynamite cultivar; (ii) a cooperative growing environment; (iii) the effects of a warming climate

The Timorasso Variety
"Timorasso is a native grape variety of the province of Alessandria, with a quality white-berried grape, grown essentially in the Curone, Grue, Ossona, and Val Borbera valleys, in an area where the vine finds a valid 'habitat' thanks to the soil, sunshine and the position sheltered from the winds" (Consorzio).

According to stradacollitortonesi.com, the Timorasso variety is a part of the ampelographic heritage of Liguria, Piemonte, Lombardia, and Emilia Romagna and is assumed to have originated somewhere between Liguria and Piemonte. The characteristics of the variety are shown in the chart below.

D'Agata identifies a "first degree parentage relationship between Lambruschetto and Timorasso while the Lambruscos from Emilia-Romagna were genetically distant."

Versatility

One of the key strengths of Timorasso is its versatility; it delivers consistently high fruit quality, regardless of geography, and wine, regardless of style. As regards geography, the north of Colli Tortonesi is flat, coming in at about 100-m elevation. The hills begin in Vho and Monleale (100 - 200 m) and there is a cluster of wineries around Costa Vescovata (300 m). Beginning at Costa Vescovato, the climate differs from that of the lower altitudes. Val Bobera is a sight to behold, with high mountains and deep valleys. Ezio Poggio's vineyard sits at 500 m.

In terms of style, the variety allows for the production of still (will vary based on fermentation/aging vessels, maceration time, and whether they have been fermented on the skins), sparkling (metodo clasico and charmat method), and sweet wines. 

Phenolic Richness

Writing in openingabottle.com, Kevin Day characterizes the Timorasso variety thusly: "Timorasso has a rich phenolic character, meaning the natural phenols and polyphenols in the grape yield a lot of aromas, flavors, textures, and characters." In other words, these factors, when coupled with the variety's thick skin, renders Timorasso an ideal candidate for skin-contact winemaking.

Growing Environment

The Timorasso vine prefers poor and marginal soils with especially limited water reserves. The current Timorasso growing environment is illustrated in the chart below.

With elevations ranging between 400 and 600 m, Val Borbera has the highest-altitude vineyards in Colli Tortonesi. It also has a markedly different temperature profile. According to Maurizio Carucci of Cascina Barbàn, the Tortona hills, with its hot, humid summers, are more reflective of a Po Valley influence. Val Borbera, on the other hand, is colder in the winter, has more significant diurnal temperature variation, and much more rainfall over the course of the growing season. The diurnal temperature variation supports the production of highly aromatic grapes while the cool temperatures extends the growing season. Maurizio sees at least a 20-day difference in harvest dates between the two zones.

According to Gian Paolo Repetto (Vigneti Repetto), Colli Tortonesi lies between Serravalle Scriva and Tortona and this translates to Tortonian soils in the north, Serravalian soils in the south, and Sant'Agata fossil marls in the middle (see here for my graphical illustration of this concept). The northern part of the zone has more clay, partially calcareous, partially less. This composition lends itself to wines with great structure. The Sant'Agata Fossili soils are rich in limestone and tend to produce mineral, sapid wines. The south has the highest elevations and young, rocky soils. The Timorasso wines from this zone are fine and elegant.

Global-Warming Benefits

According to Elisa, the Timorasso cultivar has benefited from a warming environment. Thirty years ago, the farmers harvested partially ripe Barbera in the middle of October. Ripening was a problem for Timorasso in this environment. It was not warm enough; plus there was rain in the middle of October. In today's world, fully ripe Barbera is harvested in the middle of September and Timorasso is fully ripe in that same timeframe.

Gian Paolo concurs with Elisa’s assessment that global warming has been beneficial to Timorasso. Historically it had been difficult to grow the variety because of botrytis and rot prior to harvest. With global warming, the variety is able to attain full ripeness earlier and harvest occurs in the warmer mid-September period.

In Elisa’s view, the combination of soils and early ripening makes Colli Tortonesi the best Piemontese terroir for exploitation of the variety.

A Stable of Dedicated, Quality Producers

After producing his initial Timorasso vintage, and conducting further research to tighten up the production process, Walter Massa began to proselytize about 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 in Casca Vescovato. This 1.5-ha vineyard, named Vigna di Carlo, was planted in 1995. Andrea Mutti and Luigi Boveri also planted their Timorassos in 1995.

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. 

Grape-growing, as practiced by Colli Tortonesi Timorasso producers, is artisanal:

• Most vineyards are farmed by the owners who are also, in many cases, the winemaker
• The vineyards are mainly a part of a wider farm
• Vineyards are part of a polyculture rather than being a monoculture (as is mostly the case in the Langhe)
• Growers pursue sustainable farming with many either practicing or certified organic
• There is a general thrust to minimize the use of chemicals in the vineyards
• Individual holdings range between 1 and 3 ha with a handful of producers between 5 and 10 ha, and two or three of the 60 farming in excess of 10 ha.

A Captivating Origin Story

The current incarnation of the Timorasso variety has a captivating origin story. The 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). Thirty years ago Timorasso plantings ranged between 3 and 5 ha for the entire region. The variety had experienced a steady decline over the preceding century due to (i) the amount of work required in the vineyard, (ii) its susceptibility to illness, and (iii) its relatively low yield.

Cortese was the dominant white variety planted on the Massa 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. Prior to Walter's endeavor, Timarosso had only contributed as a component in blended wines.

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.

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. 

Unique Market Niche

Piemonte is best known for its red wines -- primarily in the southern part of the region but also with  strong representation in the north -- based on Nebbiolo but it is also the source of vibrant indigenous white wines; wines that I have captured in the chart below and written about in a comprehensive study. 

Erbaluce-based wines dominate in the morainic soils of the north while Cortese-based wines hold sway in the limestone soils of the south. 

Even back at this time, after having only drunk one bottle of Timorasso, I was referring to it as the wine to watch. It is unique in comparison to the other white wines from Piemonte. While high-acid and mineral like some of the other white Piemontese varieties, it adds: an aromatic nose; salinity and sapidity on a phenol-rich palate; and long life, with improvement (a honeyed petrol note) over its residence in the bottle.

While some of the studied white Piemontese cultivars have smaller footprints than does Timorasso, this does not apply to Arneis and Erbaluce.

Customer Appreciation

For the region, the outlook is bright, according to Gian Paolo Repetto. Their is huge interest in the region and its wines. Even with all the recent dislocation in the world, they were able to sell all the Derthona they produced.

Protect the Patrimony

A key part of patrimony-protection is establishing Derthona as Timorasso from a specific place, the original home of the variety. Anyone can plant Timorasso vines but only Colli Tortonesi producers can make Derthona wines. Key to this is the approval of the Derthona appellation. According to Elise, this will probably occur with the 2021 vintage.

The Consorzio has submitted an application to the appropriate authorities for the designation of a Derthona sub-appellation within the Colli Tortonesi DOC covering the production of Timorasso vines within its borders. While Derthona is currently used on the labels of some producers, it is not an official designation. Further, it is a registered trademark of Walter Massa, who has encouraged its widespread adoption and use. The submittal covers a Riserva (released a minimm of 2.5 years after harvest), a Derthona, and a Piccolo Derthona (both requiring a minimum of 1 year aging). The difference between a Derthona and a Piccolo Derthona will be based on quality parameters as well as tasting panel assessments. Some of the key quality elements of the upcoming appellation will be the designation of minimum altitudes in each commune as well as minimum alcohol levels for each wine type.

A second patrimony-protection action has been the limiting of vineyard growth to maintain the artisanal nature of the wine and region. The members of the Consorzio have agreed to limit the total hectares under production to 300, and to attain this number through slow growth. In addition to ensuring that the region does not flood the market with its wine (with the resultant impact on pricing potential), this step will ensure the retention of the current agricultural profile.

"Foreign" Producers -- The Catalysts in the Woodshed

There is no doubt in my mind that, left to its own devices, Colli Tortonesi Derthona Timorasso would have eventually become "a big thing." But I do not believe that it would have aggregated its potential in such a manner -- and in such a timeframe -- that it would gain consideration as a candidate for "the next big thing." I feel that the interest and involvement of the "foreign" producers have been instrumental in this regard. First, lets look at these new entrants.

According to Elisa Semino of La Colombera, "Famous producers are now arriving in the region ... a sign of respect for the region; they believe in the variety and are planting it in its home region."

As shown in the table below, outsider interest began with Cascina La Ghersa in 2007, with a gap until the early part of the 2010s, with a rush of entrants in the last two years of the decade.

Table 1. "Non-Local" market entrants by year of initial vintage.

Initial Vintage	Producer	Producer Origins	Timorasso Holdings	Source(s) of Purchased Fruit
2007	Cascina La Ghersa	Moasca	Casasco and Sarezzano; 1.8 ha
2013	Fontanassa	Gavi	?	?
2014	Roagna	Barbaresco	Montemarzino; 1 ha
2015	Borgogno	Barolo	Monleale; 3 ha
	Cascina Gentile	Capriata d’Orba	?	?
2018	Broglia	Gavi		Costa Vescovata
	Sassai	Capriata d’Orba	Profigate and Ca’ del Borgo; 5 ha	Castellania and Monleale
	Vietti	Barolo	Monleale; 4.1 ha
2019	La Spinetta	Asti	Montegioco, Monleale, and Montemarzino; 5 ha
	Monilia	Barolo	Monleale; 1.5 ha	Monleale
	Reis	Langhe and Monferrato		Sarezzano
N/A	Alvio Pestarino	Capriata d’Orba	Stazzano; ?
	Pio Cesare	Alba	?; 2.5 ha	Vho
	Voerzio Martini	La Morra	?

Why did the identified producers launch these out-of-region initiatives? According to Franco Ziliani (Italian blogger and wine critic) the factors driving these producers towards Timorasso wines are as follows:

• They are impressed by the work of Massa and his disciples
• They understand the greatness of Timorasso
• They want to expand the the range of their reds with an important white
• Vineyards are a bargain in Colli Tortonesi when compared to the sky-high costs in Barolo and its surrounds.

From the perspective of selected "foreign" entrants:

• Vietti was impressed with the characteristics and future outlook of Timorasso
• Pietro Oddero thinks that Timorasso "is the most interesting indigenous white variety in Italy."
• The Reis team 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. Their Timorasso venture was both a testament to the friendship and a bow to the potential of the variety.

What advantages did the locals see accruing to the region as a result of this new presence?

• Walter Massa saw these entrants as advantageous because of their perceived ability to market Timorasso in foreign markets
• Gian Paolo Repetto, head of the Consorzio,  and Proprietor of Vigneti Repetto, feels that these entrants have been a "blessing" in that they have raised the profile of the region.

In my view, the Langhe producers saw an in-built marketing message:

Colli Tortonesi Timorasso is an aromatic, medium-bodied, structured, mineral, aged wine made by artisanal producers from the recently rescued Timorasso cultivar. This cultivar, which had been given up for dead, was wrangled back into existence by the tenacity and foresight of the caped-crusader Walter Massa, a winemaking practitioner who has to be seen to be believed. And oh, by the way, Colli Tortonesi is the original home of the variety, with a terroir, inclusive of Langhe-like soils, that maximizes the grape's potential.

It did not hurt that this wine aligned with their need for a counter-balancing white wine as well as with the characteristics of their red wines. These foreign producers have:

• Provided a stamp of approval for the region
• Brought about the potential for Timorasso to be considered as the white wine to complement Piemonte's reds
• Have expanded the potential audience for Timorasso wines by bringing their own customers into the mix
• Potentially increased the international spread (and acceptance) of the wine by running it through their distribution channels
• Added to the wherewithal of the region by bringing into the deliberations a sophistication that can only be attained after generations of working in the international market
• Elevated the value proposition for the region and the wine
• Expanded Timorasso production beyond the traditional stainless-steel fermentation/aging vessels to include materials such as oak (barrique and cask), ceramics, concrete, etc. 
• Aided in the efforts to protect the patrimony.

©Wine -- Mise en abyme

Ca' del Conte's Noah: A skin-fermented Timorasso wine from Oltrepo Pavese (Lombardy)

Timorasso wines have been, up to this time in my research, a purely Piemontese exercise: 46 Colli Tortonesi producers; 14 non-Colli-Tortonesi producers who, nonetheless, source their grapes from the region; and four non-Colli-Tortonesi producers who source their grapes from elsewhere in Piemonte. That is, until I encountered Ca' del Conte, an Oltrepo-Pavese-based estate that produces a 100% Timorasso wine under the Bianco Provinicia di Pavia label. To add to its uniqueness, Noah is a skin-fermented Timorasso wine.

Ca' del Conte, founded in 2003 by Paolo and Martina Macconi, is located in the Municipality of Rivanzanno Terme in the early part of the Oltrepo Pavese hills (The age of most of the vines suggests that Ca' del Conte was founded on a pre-existing vineyard.). The estate covers 20 ha, 16 of which are devoted to vines, with the remainder woods, fruit trees, and a vegetable garden.

The soil originated in the Messinian-Tortonian period and is primarily marl -- clayey consistency on the surface and aranaceous-sandy at depth -- with sulphurous infiltrations. 

Varieties planted on the property include Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, and Riesling -- planted in the 1970s and trained Geneva Double Curtain -- as well as the more recently planted Pinot Bianco and Timorasso. 

The vineyard has been farmed organically since 2017 and is currently Bios-certified. The spaces between the vine rows are grassed. Grass length is managed by periodic mowing as well as tilling of the soil around the vine roots. No synthetic chemicals are used in the vineyard. Instead, vines are fertilized with manure and pathogens controlled by biological means or with the application of copper and/or sulfur.

Vines are pruned in the winter and during the vegetative cycle. Materials from the winter prunings are shredded and dispersed in the vineyards.

The Timorasso vineyard was planted in 2015 on material from a recent landslide. The landslide brought arenaceous soils with a high degree of limestone and skeleton into play. The vineyard is north-facing and sits at 320 meters above sea level.

The Ca' del Conte Noah is a skin-fermented white wine. Skin-fermented white wines are treated in the same manner as are red wines; that is, fermentation of the juice in the presence of grape skins, seeds, and, in some cases, stems. The key difference between these wines and conventional white wines are the extractives from the skins, seeds, and stems (if stems are included). The key difference between these wines and skin-contact wines are the greater concentration of extractives from the skin and the extractives from the seeds and, if utilized, the stems.

The grapes for this wine are selected and harvested manually after which they are transported to the winery in 18 kg boxes. The grapes are crushed and destemmed before being placed into stainless-steel tanks for spontaneous fermentation. There is no temperature control during fermentation as the intent is to facilitate extraction. The wine remains in contact with the skins for 30 days post-fermentation. At the end of the maceration period, the wine is racked into fiberglass containers for 1 year of aging. There is no filtering prior to bottling.

I tasted the 2018 vintage of Noah. This wine is labeled Bianco Provincia di Pavia even though the estate lies within the bounds of Oltrepo Pavese DOC.

Rust colored. Vanilla, coconut, burnt orange, tea, and a nuttiness on the nose. Shambolic on the palate when tasted initially. Sour cherry on the attack followed by outcroppings of perfume, dried herbs, and pale citrus drink. Residual sugar and volatile acidity present, along with sapidity and a spiciness. A mineral coating on the finish.

In time, the wine settles into a more evenly balanced character with lime- and orange-aid flavors added, a mineral coating on the tongue, and a drying finish. It became rather pleasurable to drink, actually

©Wine -- Mise en abyme

Elisa Semino: Winemaker at La Colombera and Queen (it's not even close) of Colli Tortonesi Timorasso

Conrad Mattern, whom I have previously described as the number one Timorasso fan, places La Colombera at the apex of Colli Tortonesi Timorasso production. In his view, "Walter Massa, La Colombera, and Claudio Marrioto are the 'Triumvirate of Timorasso; that is, their wines represent the pinnacle of Timorasso production."

I recently had the honor of interviewing Elisa Semino, the estate's winemaker, via Zoom to discuss the region, the estate, the variety, the estate's wines, and the future of the foregoing. Elisa is an open and enthusiastic interview subject and I came away enriched. I report on our conversation in this post.

La Colombera History

According to Elisa, her great-grandfather came to Vho from the small town of Montemarzino in 1937. They established the La Colombera farm on Monte Colombino (not really a mountain) where they grew grapes and grain and raised chickens and animals. Her grandfather expanded the grape growing but it was left to her father -- Piercarlo -- to introduce winemaking on the farm. He ceased selling grapes and sold bulk wine to private clients who came into the fold via word-of-mouth.

Walter Massa had been talking to them about Timorasso but the first "collaboration" was La Colombera purchasing used barriques from him in 1998 to house their best Barbera grapes. The wines produced from this vintage was called Elisa and was the estate's first commercial label.

La Colombera made the decision to plant Timorasso in 1997. At that time they farmed 20 ha and grapegrowing was limited to red grapes and a little bit of Cortese. The soil is Tortonian (the origin point of the band that continues through Barolo) and, from their perspective, was best suited to red grapes. But, on the other hand, Timorasso was born in Colli Tortonesi so would probably flourish if planted in the "right" places. They set out to find the right spots in their vineyard through experimental plantings in 1997, 1998, and 2000. The first Timorasso label was the 2000 vintage. There was a subsequent Timorasso planting in 2005. The 2006 was the first vintage of the cru Il Montino.

La Colombera Today

The farm currently holds 25 ha of land and, as at its founding, continues to operate a polyculture. In addition to the vineyards, the farm grows 15 ha of grain, grows fruits, and raises animals and chickens. Grape-growing is distributed as follows:

• 15 ha in Vho. This is the traditional La Colombera home, with plantings of Timorasso, Barbera, etc. The Il Montino cru is located in this holding.
• Cascina Machetta -- planted to Barbera, for the Monleale label, and Timorasso
• Santa Croce -- a Sarezzano plot bought in 2017. Planted to 2 ha of Cortese and 3 ha of Timorasso with 3 additional ha of Timorasso coming online in 2022.

Elisa was absolutely giddy when talking about the Sarezzano property. This land sits on the hills above a limestone quarry which has been inoperative for well nigh 100 years. The deal was closed prior to completion of the soil analysis which, when completed, showed a striking similarity to the soil of Il Montino.

The Timorasso Variety

La Colombera is very happy with the variety. Timorasso is in the DNA of Colli Tortonesi: "one region, one grape." According to Elisa, people only drank red wines in the 1990s. She remembers when she was in University in Milan, Professor Scienza told her that it was very good that she was pursuing the Timorasso variety. It is cyclical, he said. People are going for red wine now but in 10 -15 years they will be pursuing a big white wine (This should be considered within the context of Professor Scienza having been in contact with Walter Massa regarding Timorasso beginning in 1992).

To Elisa, Timorasso is a great variety which makes a great, long-lived, mineral wine.

The terroir is well-suited to the variety. The soils are similar to Langhian soils but Colli Tortonesi is warmer and has less rain in the summer.

The variety has benefited from a warming environment. Thirty years ago, the farmers harvested partially ripe Barbera in the middle of October. Ripening was a problem for Timorasso in this environment. It was not warm enough; plus there was rain in the middle of October. In today's world, fully ripe Barbera is harvested in the middle of September and Timorasso is fully ripe in that same timeframe.

Viticulture

La Colombera farms organically but is not currently certified. No herbicides or pesticides have been used on the estate in the past 15 years. Grass is planted between the vineyards rows and is mowed twice per season (depending on the need). Vines are trained Guyot. 

Vineyards are cleaned at the beginning of September and are harvested by hand when the Timorasso grapes have attained a golden color.

Winemaking

Grapes from all the Timorasso vineyards are vinified and aged separately. Elisa uses seven different vineyards in Vho and Sarezzano as sources for grapes for her Derthona wine. The grapes for Il Montino comes from the Vho cru of the same name.

The grapes are neither destemmed or macerated. They are soft-pressed  and placed into stainless steel tanks for indigenous-yeast fermentations. The fermentations begin at 15℃ and end at 18℃. The wine remains on lees (with batonnage) for 9 months. The Derthona wine is blended prior to bottling to ensure uniformity.

Notes on Elisa's winemaking:

• She does not macerate because that brings in a different style of wine. She is producing a traditional Derthona
• She loves the minerality that comes with Timorasso wine. In her view, the minerality comes from the grape and the sapidity from the soil
• Her Derthona is a Timorasso classico. In the future, it is possible that they will extend beyond just the Montino cru; Santa Croce, for example, is a "fabulous place."
• It is also possible that they may use barrels in wine production in the future. The Timorasso from Santa Croce is an interesting grape and it is possible that they may use barrels on the grapes from that plot in the future. It would most likely be big barrels in order to minimize wood uptake in the wine.

La Colombera Timorasso Wines

The estate produces two Timorasso wines: Derthona and Il Montino. The Derthona is classic in that it is a blend of multiple vineyards. She expects to see honey, peaches fruit and minerality in this wine. I have previously reported on my tasting of an edition of this wine.

In the Il Montino, you get the best Timorasso vines in La Colombera. It is also the earliest Timorasso vineyard in the estate, planted as it was in 1997.

During my conversation with Elise, I tasted the 2018 vintage of this wine. A complex mix of aromas on the nose: apple, orange, tangerine, sweet fruit, minerality, limestone, sea spray, and spice. Smooth and open on the palate. Full, round mouthfeel. Sapidity, with a long, spicy finsh.

"Foreign" Producers

Famous producers are now arriving in the region. In her view, this is a sign of respect for the region; they believe in the variety and are planting it in its home region. Many of these producers are locating in Monleale, primarily because it is the home of Walter Massa, but some are branching out to communes such as Sarezzano.

The local producers have excellent relations with the newer producers who are simultaneously helping to introduce the variety to the world while helping to preserve the patrimony at home.

Elise hinted at the potential of two new Langhe producers entering in the Sarezzano commune. My attempts at drawing her out were unsuccessful.

Timorasso Vintages

I asked Elisa about past vintages that she had liked. She liked 2005 (unique because of the first use of malolactic fermentation), 2006, 2017 (full-bodied but nervous) and 2020 (preferred for its acidity).

The Future

For the region, further establishing Derthona as Timorasso from a specific place, the original home of the variety. Anyone, in any region, can plant Timorasso vines but only Colli Tortonesi producers can make Derthona wines. Key to this is the approval of the Derthona appellation. According to Elise, this will probably occur with the 2021 vintage.

Secondly, maintaining the artisanal nature of the wine and region while increasing the international profile.

For La Colombera, the future is "Timorasso, Timorasso, Timorasso." They are also in the process of building a formal tasting room. They have historically tasted wines with customers on Saturday and Sunday but more and more visitors are coming into the area, seeking to taste the wines in place. The new tasting room will seek to capitalize on, and provide the infrastructure for, these customer visits.

©Wine -- Mise en abyme

Ezio Poggio: The Terre di Libarna Timorasso evangelist

Ezio Poggio is the third generation of his family to farm in Val Borbera. I spoke recently via Zoom with Mary (Ezio’s sister), her daughter Eugenia, and his son Guglielmo to discuss the estate and the region.

Ezio and Mary initially worked commercially in that they sold wine that they bought from others. They initiated their Timorasso-recovery project in 2003 when they began working with local farmers and planting new vineyards. The Poggios had no relationship with Walter Massa prior to 2003 but they began talking about the characteristics of the Terre di Libarna, and the differences from Monleale, in that year.

The first harvest was booked in 2008. Ezio's ongoing work to showcase the differences between Terre di Libarna and Monleale Timorasso was rewarded with the former being awarded subzone designation in 2011.

Poggio planted mostly Timorasso in the clayey, calcareous soils of his vineyard holdings. The vines are trained single Guyot and are planted at 4000 vines per ha. The Poggio vineyard is currently under organic conversion.

It is difficult growing Timorasso due to its low production and the need to harvest it as soon as possible to avoid rot.

There are four growers in the Poggio group with all grapes processed at Ezio Poggio facilities and sold under the Ezio Poggio label. A total of 10 ha of vines are planted across grower vineyards with Poggio owning 1 ha directly.

The Wines

Grapes are hand-harvested -- generally 15 days later than in Monleale -- into small cases and transferred to the winery where four Timorasso wines are produced: two still (Archetipo and Caespes) and two sparkling (one Metodo Classico, the other, Lüsarein, is made using the Charmat method).

The still wines are soft-pressed and then placed into stainless steel tanks for fermentation with selected yeasts. There is no pre-fermentation maceration. The wine rests on lees for 12 months in the cases of Archetipo and 8 months for Caespes. The Archetipo generally comes in at 13.5 - 14% alcohol while the Caespes comes in at 13%. Bottle-aging is 6 months for Archetipo and 3 months for Caespes. According to Guglielmo, Caespes reveals fresher notes of citrus and green lime and is suitable for early drinking. Because of its longer aging, Archetipo, has more body and more evolved hydrocarbon notes to accompany the lime notes of Caespes.

The grapes for the sparkling wines are grown in vineyards at elevations ranging between 600 and 700 meters. The grapes are hand-picked into small boxes and transported to the winery where they are soft-pressed and fermented in stainless steel tanks. 

The Lüsarein is made using the Martinotti method with the wine resting on lees in 30 hL autoclaves for 6 months. This wine was first made in 2010 when all of the grapes normally used for Archetipo were re-directed for this purpose. This is a vintage sparkling wine and, according to Guglielmo, retains the freshness and taste of the Caespes still wine.

The success of Lüsarein led Ezio Poggio to release a Metodo Classico sparkling wine in 2016 following some tests in 2014. This wine rests on the lees in bottle for 24 months. 2.3 g/l of residual sugar is introduced in the dosage. According to Guglielmo, the Metodo Classico demonstrates Archetipo characteristics.

Tasting Selected Ezio Poggio Wines

I tasted the 2018 edition of Archetipo and the 2019 editions of the Lüsarein and Caespes wines.

The 2019 Lüsarein showed sweet white fruit, citrus, lees notes, and slate on the nose. Limited mousse. Bright, playful lime notes on the palate. Limited residence before proceeding quickly to a dry, abbreviated finish. Moves from sparkling to easy-drinking white wine rather quickly.

The 2019 Caespes was bright in color, with limited visual evidence of maceration. It did, however, manifest the traditional Timorasso viscosity in the glass.

Green herbs, sage, sweet white fruit, sea spray, spice, and burnt orange on the nose. Lighter of body than lower-altitude Timorassi, but still registers above the 13% alcohol on the chest. A little more elegance and less intensity of the traditional Timorasso characters. Approachable. Salinity with a cupric, turmeric finish.

The 2018 Archetipo was very aromatic. Honeyed hydrocarbons, toasted bread, sweet white fruit, and spice on the nose. Broad entry with citrus, intense spice, and drying minerality. Perfume tones with hint of sapidity, the latter of which increases with residence. Stimulative of the salivary glands. Persistent. Long, dry finish.

©Wine -- Mise en abyme