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

Gian Paolo Repetto: Managing the Timorasso forest (the Consorzio) and a tree (Vigneti Repetto (Colli Tortonesi, Piemonte))

Gian Paolo Repetto has regularly risen to the top of his chosen fields but has also managed to retain the humility and considerations of his origins. He was born on a farm in Colli Tortonesi and went on to found an engineering company where he worked for 30 years before returning and expanding the family farm to today's Vigneti Repetto, one of the most respected wine estates in the region. 

Gian Paolo Repetto and his wife Marina

But Gian Paolo did not leave his leadership, management, motivational, planning, and organizational skills behind in the corporate boardroom. Rather, he leveraged those skills in growing his business and brought them to bear in his role as the President of the regional Consorzio. I had the pleasure of speaking with Gian Paolo recently on an InstagramLive Chat about the present and future of his estate and the Timorasso variety.

Gian Paolo talks about his return to Colli Tortonesi as coming back home. His love for the area is multi-faceted:

• In his view, Colli Tortonesi is one of the most beautiful parts of Italy
• The area's future is bright
• The region is populated by "real" people
• It is not so business-oriented that human values are forgotten/ignored
• The area produces two of his favorite wines: Barbera and Timorasso.

Gian Paolo and Marina became serious about the enterprise in 2015. Prior to that they had taken a number of experimental steps.

According to Gian Paolo, 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.

In Gian Paolo's estimation, 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.

This combination of soils and early ripening makes Colli Tortonesi the best Piemontese terroir for exploitation of the variety. Monferrato, for example, is much more open and its soil and microclimate differs from that of Colli Tortonesi. Barolo and Barbaresco soils are similar to the soils in the north of Colli Tortonesi but the latter is warmer. 

In response to a question regarding the pros and cons of Timorasso, Gian Paolo said that the only pro was the possibility of producing a great wine. That has to be balanced against a number of negatives:

• It is a difficult variety to grow
• Material sticks to the equipment during pruning and have to be constantly cleaned off
• Double and triple buds at bud break; these have to be cleaned out manually
• The short distance between buds are a disease risk
• Sunburn is an ever-present risk.

A grower with both Timorasso and Cortese in his/her vineyard will put three times more work in the vineyard for the former. Growers deserted Timorasso in the past because the market did not reward them for the effort expended. Consumers have now corrected this problem and are buying the wine at a price that is more reflective of its true production cost.

Vigneti Repetto

The estate sources its grapes from the mix of owned and rented vineyards shown in the map below.

Vigneti Repetto grape sources

The owned vineyards are planted to 22 parcels which are farmed and (mostly) vinified separately. Vineyards are planted at altitudes ranging between 240 and 350 m, standard altitudes, according to Gian Paolo, for vine planting in the region. The vines are trained single-Guyot and are pruned using the Guyot-Poussard system (with an eye on getting ahead of any potential esca problem).

The vineyards are farmed sustainably. A portion of the farm is certified organic and the entire farm will be so designated in the future. Gian Poalo sees Europe's new plan for sustainable farming as the best way forward as it is really important to reduce the incidence of chemicals in the vineyard.

Nine hectares from the owned vineyards are dedicated to Timorasso plantings (some Timorasso is planted in the rented vineyards as well). The clay-rich soils provide a more structured, less mineral, less elegant wine while the limestone soil provides sapidity and hydrocarbon notes.

The Timorasso scions are massal selections secured from the Santa Maria nursery (No clones were available when they began planting.). The rootstocks utilized are Kober, 157.11, and Paulsen (on the hilltops, where the soils are thinner).

The Timorasso parcels are planted, vinified and aged separately. The harvest decision is based on tasting plus attainment of target levels of three parameters: sugar, pH, and global acidity. Weather is, of course, an overriding concern.

Individual parcels are harvested into small boxes and taken directly to the cellar. If the stems are green, the bunches are destemmed. If they are sufficiently ripe, the grapes are crushed before pressing. Some sulfites are added after harvest; when sulfites added prior to bottling is included, somewhere between 40 and 80 g of sulfur is added during the production process.

The estate produces three Timorasso wines (shown below). The Piccolo Derthona is a new wine for the estate.

Gian Paolo Repetto 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 Derthona. It exhibits freshness and is suitable for a wine bar.”

The Origo is complex, with a lot of tertiary aromas while the Piccolo Derthona is 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 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.

Derthona Appellation

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.

The Future

For Vigneti Repetto, they are currently building a new winery in the middle of the vineyard to replace the current structure which is 15 km away. It is expected that this cellar wil be ready for the upcoming vintage.

For the region, the outlook is bright. 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. And it is not only the consumer interest that is encouraging; a number of big-name Barolo players have begun producing Timorasso wines and that has been a "blessing" in that it has raised the profile of the Colli Tortonesi region.

Colli Tortonesi is a small area but it is growing. They have to manage that growth and balance the quality risk versus growth rate. I asked Gian Paolo about any quality risks associated with grapes being trucked out of the area for processing. He indicated that those grapes could only be processed in Piemonte and the use of refrigerated trucks would mitigate against significant quality impacts (I did not point out the irony of him moving his cellar into the vineyards because 15 km was too far away while they allowed the grapes to be trucked many kilometers away.). 

Gian Paolo indicated that processing location was something under active discussion at the Consorzio and that they may arrive at a scheme wherein they grandfather the status quo but limit new entrants to processing their grapes within the Colli Tortonesi boundary in order to claim the appellation label.

It is important to maintain interest in the appellation, says Gian Paolo, but it is also important to balance that with maintenance of quality.

©Wine -- Mise en abyme