A tasting at the beautiful vineyard of La Perla, Valtellina

Today I visited another very interesting producer in Valtellina doing quite a few things differently than their neighbors, La Perla. Marco is the fourth generation winemaker making wine from their 4 hectare estate (3+ planted to Nebbiolo, half a hectare to Pignola valtellinese from which a methode champenoise sparkling is made). Marco’s father, Domenico (who hosted me today), also adopted the girapoggio planting pattern (more traditional rows, parallel to the valley), which was a first for Valtellina. So unusual was this that initially they weren’t granted the Valtellina designation! Domenico made a few phone calls to academic viticulturists and it was quickly allowed. Aside from the sparkling (which was brilliant; one of the finest I’ve had from Italy) they make three wines from Nebbiolo: a typical Valtellina Superiore (La Mossa), a typical Sforzato di Valtellina (Quattro Soli), and the stunning, captivatingly differently produced Riserva Elisa. I’ve never heard of a wine produced in this fashion: in mid-October, when the grapes are ripe and would usually be harvested for Valtellina Superiore, the fruiting canes are cut from the mother vines, but LEFT in the vineyard, hanging in its place but disconnected from the plant, for a further month! This allows the grapes to keep their acidity they had in October, but get to appreciate the diurnal shifts of fall (which apparently here is usually quite dry, so no concern for disease). And of course, the grapes begin to partially dry in the vineyard. Not only does this sound interesting, but for my palate resulted in the most compelling, complete and complex wine of the lineup. The fruit was floral and gorgeous, with incredible structural balance throughout. The palate texture was wonderful, and along with the finish, showed tons of elegance and complexity. It was also the youngest tasting of the bunch and I expect a beautiful evolution with age. This is a stunningly unique expression of Nebbiolo. I asked Domenico if anyone else in the area has tried this technique and he said no, everyone just thinks he’s crazy. To me, the answer is in the bottle, and it’s brilliant.

• 2021 La Perla (Marco Triacca) Valtellina La Perla Metodo Classico Extra Brut 92 Points

  Italy, Lombardia, Valtellina

  Wow, this wine is wonderful and quite special! Made from the native pignola valtellinese grapes (a red skinned grape, related to Nebbiolo), this is done in the traditional methode champenoise. The aromas are very pretty, but rather soft and light. On the palate things get far more interesting, with a very pretty, elegant effervesce of tiny bubbles. The fruit is red in character with a really great lively intensity in the mouth. The acid is roaring on the finish, but more in a Nebbiolo kind of way than a Champagne kind of way. Tons of elegant fruit and floral notes linger. This is a beautiful, easy to drink wine showing considerable class and elegance. Truly, one of the finest sparkling wines I've had from anywhere in Italy.

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• 2018 La Perla (Marco Triacca) Valtellina Superiore La Mossa 90 Points

  Italy, Lombardia, Valtellina, Valtellina Superiore

  The largest production of the estate at around 8,000-10,000 bottles a year. The aromas have a nice, pretty perfume, and is certainly seeming to show some older, tertiary mature fruit notes. There's also some violets and other floral tones present here. The palate entry is soft and showing more mature fruit, a bit stewed, and integrated soft tannins and acidity. Overall the palate intensity is fairly mild. Mild again on the finish, with a bit greater tannic load here, but overall quite mellow. I'd say it's likely drinking at peak and I wouldn't personally intend to age this wine further.

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• 2017 La Perla (Marco Triacca) Valtellina Superiore Riserva Elisa 93 Points

  Italy, Lombardia, Valtellina, Valtellina Superiore

  I’ve never heard of a wine produced in this fashion: in mid-October, when the grapes are ripe and would usually be harvested for Valtellina Superiore, the fruiting canes are cut from the mother vines, but LEFT in the vineyard, hanging in its place but disconnected from the plant, for a further month! This allows the grapes to keep their acidity they had in October, but get to appreciate the diurnal shifts of fall (which apparently here is usually quite dry, so no concern for disease). And of course, the grapes begin to partially dry in the vineyard. Not only does this sound interesting, but for my palate resulted in the most compelling, complete and complex wine of the lineup. The aromas are very pretty, and the most fruit forward of the Nebbiolos. That fruit is very pretty and elegant pure fruit driven tones, like real strawberries... it has a gorgeous perfume. The palate entry is elegant and has a beautiful texture. The tannins and acid come in sharp, but they are perfectly in balance with the fruit and not angular at all. Very pretty in the mouth, but here it's feeling quite youthful (whereas the other two Nebbiolos of the same age here were tasting on the older side). Much deeper intensity on the finish than I expected, with a wallop of gorgeous strawberry fruit and then a pounding of acid. The roundness and intensity on the finish is so beautiful, integrated, yet powerful. This is a very pure, and unique expression of Nebbiolo. If this were available in the US, I'd buy a case at the requested price.

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• 2017 La Perla (Marco Triacca) Sforzato di Valtellina Quattro Soli 91 Points

  Italy, Lombardia, Valtellina, Sforzato di Valtellina

  A mere 1,500 bottles are made of this wine per vintage. Like the La Mossa, and unlike the Elisa, the aroma here has a strangely aged note to it. The fruit feels quite a bit older than I'd expect for such a young wine (young, but 2017 is the current release, which is rather old for a current release). The aromas also offer a nice piece of soil throughout. The palate entry is soft in texture, but again showing fruit that feels overly mature. There's building tannins but I don't yet get the sforzat... but boy does it come in on the finish! After the palate, the finish is a bit surprising with just how creamy and deeply intense the fruit is. Really crazy intensity throughout, showing killer acidity integrated with that beautiful dried, round fruit. I love the intensity of that thick fruit with the beautiful integrated acidity. The finish definitely makes up for some pieces that feel a little lacking elsewhere.

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