Sassella Stella Retica Arpepe 2012: one of the best red wines of Valtellina
Some wines make you talk for hours because they get you excited, while others leave you speechless and thinking because they are too good.
And this Sassella Stella Retica Arpepe 2012 was more than a wine; it was a moment of liquid poetry, a reunion with the quintessence of beauty. We will make it short: there is not much to say about this wine except that it is very good, a masterpiece of wine, a Nebbiolo, indeed a mountain Chiavennasca that has few equals.
And to say that it is the basic wine of the Arpepe cellar, the simplest one, but when you put Nebbiolo, seriousness, and mountains in the bottle, it becomes a nectar, a distillate of elegance. The scents are ethereal and pungent, like taking a walk in the Alps: rock, blueberries, raspberries, alpine herbs, roots, leaves, and undergrowth. More than a wine, it is a polaroid of the territory from which it comes.
How it is produced
The vineyards are at high altitudes, between 400 and 550 meters, and are treated with kid gloves. For the treatments, which are minimal and always done in a conscious way.
The Arpepe winery does not have organic certifications, but it is one of the most serious and reliable ones we have in Italy.
The same commitment is also made in the cellar, where fermentations are spontaneous, long macerations are carried out (at least 51 days), and the wine is aged in large oak barrels. In this case, the wine macerates for 51 days and then ages for two years in wood, cement, and bottles.
Organoleptic characteristics
After being harvested 10 years ago, it has grown up and changed all the thickness and mineral charge in an amazing way.It’s still very sharp, clean, and pure, but it’s put on some flab.
The fruit is already ripe, round, and full of medicinal references, dried flowers, and blueberries in alcohol. Tomato, watermelon gelee, geranium, raspberry jam, and an aromatic herb finish, plus more earth. The bouquet is a kaleidoscope of rare elegance; it moves in a measured way.
The tannins are tasty and designed with great delicacy. The earthy flavors are gorgeous; cinchona and rhubarb have become balsamic; they seem to have sunk in a sea of incense. The wood has shaped all this extract without leaving heavy traces; on the contrary, it is completely integrated into the aromatic framework. The length of the sip is infinite. The play between ripe flavors, roundness, and mineral depth is intriguing and leads you to drink without hesitation.
The structure is good; the siphon is dynamic and carved into the rock; it starts off hot and then becomes vertical.
Price
The 2017 vintage costs 30 euros. There are quite a few for “wine”, a luxury and accessory good, but if you consider that it is one of the best wines in Valtellina in terms of value for money, we recommend it with your eyes closed. It is not only a wine of great depth that can age for 15-20 years, but also a bottle that knows how to express all the beauty of the Rhaetian Alps in liquid emotions.
Pairings
Black truffle risotto, passatelli with Parmigiano fondue and truffle, bucatini all’amatriciana, roast beef, hamburger.