Massimo Clerico’s family has farmed grapes in the microscopic alpine hamlet of Lessona since the 1700s. The principal grape of Piedmont is Nebbiolo, just like Barolo or Barbaresco, but the region of Lessona is roughly two hours further North into the foothills of the Italian alps. The Clericos are founding fathers of local wine culture and when the Italian government awarded this village DOC status in 1976, Massimo’s father Sandrino was one of the first three growers to label his Nebbiolo under the Lessona DOC appellation. While Lessona has become renowned for the quality of its Nebbiolo-based reds, its reputation is also limited by its own size. For instance, the Clerico family owns a mere two hectares of vines in the village—but they are still the third largest landholder in the appellation! Needless to say, most wine enthusiasts—even lovers of Barolo and Barbaresco—have never enjoyed a bottle of Lessona. Off the top of my head, I can name only three Lessona producers whose wines are imported into the US. The Clerico family produces less than 500 cases of wine each year, and less than half of that total production is labeled as Lessona. This is a rarely seen wine from a small family property.
Massimo Clerico produces today’s wine—his flagship bottling—exclusively from grapes grown in his family’s vineyards. There is no purchased fruit or contracted vineyards. Everything is done in house—literally—at this tiny family estate. Massimo’s house and surrounding vineyards are situated at approximately 1,000 feet above sea level. The soil here is composed of ancient marine sands over chalky, acidic subsoil. The three small vineyards that encircle the family home come together to produce today’s wine. First, Leria is a parcel situated directly in front of the family home and cellar door. Next, the Gaja vineyard is planted to 45 year-old Nebbiolo, and serves as the backbone and majority fruit source for this wine. Finally, the Putin vineyard was planted 1984, and only the best nebbiolo fruit from these vines gets put into today’s bottling.
Like everything else at the small Clerico family property, harvest is done the old fashioned way; hand-picked grapes are typically harvested during the second half of October. Massimo’s underground cellar dates back to 1740 and it is stocked with equipment from decades past. After harvest, grape clusters are destemmed before a beginning a many weeks-long fermentation. Following fermentation, Massimo’s Lessona ages in medium and large neutral oak barrels for at least three years before bottling. By law, Lessona only needs to spend a year in barrel, but Massimo ages his wines much longer—three to five years is not unusual. For instance, other current Lessona releases in the market are from the 2011 vintage while Massimo’s current release is 2008! Fortunately, we are offering the last bottles of the exceptional 2006 vintage. For every noble Nebbiolo growing appellation in the northwestern corner of Italy—Barolo, Barbaresco, and here in Lessona—2006 is a special year that birthed some serious Nebbiolo-based wines that should not be passed up.
The 2006 Massimo Clerico Lessona can hardly be contained in the glass. Its delicate red and orange hues flicker and evolve constantly. The wine is starting to show the translucence that defines most optimally mature Nebbiolo-based reds from noble sites. Gazing into the glass it is hard to imagine that it came from a cluster of grapes in one man’s backyard. On the nose, it is similarly transparent, pure, and fragile: dried roses, black truffles, wild alpine herbs, dried cherries, dark plum and saddle leather are shining bright and teaming with energy. With a wine like this that is peaking in maturity, the aromas are so faithfully echoed by the palate that it is sometimes hard to discern what is being smelled and what is being tasted. This bottle is a complete picture, so fully realized and wholly satisfying that it feels wrong to dissect it into parts. The take-home message here is: do not wait, do not save this wine for a special occasion. Buy a bottle or two for yourself—or perhaps for someone else you care about—decant at about cellar temp, and immediately pour it into two large Burgundy stems. Depending on the bottle, it could take 20-30 minutes or more to open up, but certain bottles are perfect within minutes. Again, this wine will not ship until next week, and like always when receiving wine, ideally let the wine rest in a cold dark place for a short time before consuming. Some wines do not need any rest, but for a serious wine like this at least a week rest is recommended. For an epic evening with friends prepare
this Slow Roasted Oxtail Stew recipe and pour a few bottles of this Nebbiolo.
