Proprietà Sperino, `Uvaggio` Coste della Sesia Rosso
Vintage: 2021
| Vintage | Product Code | Format | Closure | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | SP401B21 | 6 x 75 | Natural Cork | Available |
Producer
Proprietà Sperino is a splendid,12-hectare hillside estate in the small town of Lessona, near Biella in northern Piemonte. Here, the soils were formed over 300 million years ago by the explosion of a supervolcano, creating sandy soils known as “ori di Lessona (Lessona’s gold), which are rich in minerals, particularly manganese and iron. The soil’s extremely low pH (one of the lowest in the wine world) allows the Nebbiolo vines to take on the marked minerality that Lessona is famed for. The wines of Proprietà Sperino are consistently superb, embracing a Burgundian style that is fragrant yet intense.
The estate was inherited by the De Marchi family (who previously owned the top Chianti Classico estate, Isole e Olena) through their relative, Felice Sperino, a passionate viticulturist and professor in Turin. Since the 1970s, Paolo De Marchi dreamed of revitalising Proprietà Sperino. This dream was eventually realised with the help of his son Luca, who now runs the estate and makes the wines with Paolo’s guidance.
Their ‘Rosa del Rosa’ Rosato is a lovely Nebbiolo rosé with a mineral and savoury character. The ‘Uvaggio’, a blend of Nebbiolo, Vespolina and Croatina, is supple yet grainy with a hint of roses on the finish. The Lessona is majestic. Made solely from Nebbiolo, it is intense yet velvety due to the Lessona soils yielding softer tannins than those found in Nebbiolo from the Langhe. The grapes for the Bramaterra DOC hail from the almost 40-year-old ‘Madonna degli Angeli’ vineyard in Brusnengo, planted on soils rich in granite. Medium-bodied with delicate tannins, the wine displays red fruits, pepper and black tea aromas. The single vineyard `Vigna Covà` is in Castello, in the village of Lessona, on a rounded hill 350 metres above sea level. This wine is silky and rounded with dark fruit and clove notes, alongside ripe tannins and a finely integrated finish. Their top wine, ‘L Franc ******’, is an elegant and beautifully balanced Cabernet Franc.
Vineyards
Grapes for this wine were grown in the Ormeggio, Castagnola and Belvedere vineyards in Lessona in the Orolungo region. The altitude is between 290-350 metres above sea level. Soils are sandy, acidic and rich in minerals. Some fruit was also sourced from the 45-90 year old Madonna degli Angeli vineyard in Brusnengo in the Forte region which is included in the Bramaterra D.O.C. The soils in Lessona are unique: they have originated from a super-volcano explosion 280 million years ago, which was then covered by the sea before resurfacing with the formation of the Alps. This left in Lessona marine sands from the Pliocene period (known as “Ori di Lessona”) on an igneous rock subsoil, mixed with more recent glacial sediment.
Vintage
The 2021 vintage began with a cold winter marked by clear, bright days and abundant snowfall in the mountains. After an early budbreak, cold temperatures returned in April, and frost reduced production. Spring continued with mild temperatures, followed by a stable summer. At the end of July, an unfortunate hailstorm partially damaged both leaves and grapes, further affecting yields. In autumn, the weather stabilized, and although the harvest was late, it took place under clear and cold conditions.
Vinification
Once the grapes arrived at the winery, they were manually sorted on the conveyor belt. The bunches were destemmed, gently pressed and the berries were gravity fed into the fermentation tank. Fermentation took place with natural yeasts in open-topped wooden fermenters. Skin maceration lasted for 25 days, with regular punching down of the cap. The wine then remained sur lie for 10 months and then a further 30 months in 15 hectolitre casks prior to being bottled.
Tasting Notes & Technical Details
Vibrant ruby red in the glass, this wine is simple yet seductive. The middle palate is fresh and juicy, packed with aromatic red fruits and occasional hints of herbs. It has a grand texture thanks to the supple, approachable tannins and well-balanced acidity, offers a savoury and long finish.
Alcohol (ABV)
12.5%
Acidity
6.19 g/l
pH
3.58
Other wines from this producer
Producer | Wine | Product Code | Features | Style | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietà Sperino | `Rosa del Rosa` Rosato | SP402 | Ro | Factsheet | |
| Lessona | SP404 | R | Factsheet | ||
| `L Franc ******` | SP405 | R | Factsheet | ||
| `Vigna Covà` Lessona Riserva | SP409 | R | Factsheet | ||
| Bramaterra | SP410 | R |