For three consecutive years, today’s wine has stolen the hearts of not only ardent Barolo-philes, but even SommSelect’s most discerning Burgundy and Bordeaux collectors. With each passing vintage, demand increases exponentially—to the point, we’re told, that we’ve now maxed out the entire West Coast’s allocation!
Obscure DOC appellation notwithstanding, this memorable red has it all: a fascinating story; 6+ years of bottle age; painfully limited production; plus deeply mineral and dark fruit that one-ups many costlier Barolo and Barbaresco releases. Still, today’s 2010 sets a new standard for Massimo Clerico, one of the few commercial producers in the tiny appellation of Lessona, in northern Piedmont. The already-legendary 2010 vintage blesses this wine with even more depth than years past, and marks the first time Clerico’s wines have received a “Riserva” designation (a title I’ve only seen bestowed on two other Lessona wines, ever). So, whether you’re already infatuated with Clerico Lessona, or if this is your first introduction, rest assured that today’s wine is a certified stunner.
We’ve said before that the northern Piedmont hamlet of Lessona is renowned for the quality and exceptionally long cellar potential of its best Nebbiolo-based reds. Unfortunately, its renown is limited by its own microscopic size. This is one of the smallest wine-producing villages in Italy—so small, in fact, that the man behind today’s brilliant wine, Massimo Clerico, owns a mere two hectares of vines in the village. Even so, those two hectares make Massimo the third-largest landholder in the appellation! So, needless to say, most wine enthusiasts—even experienced lovers of Barolo and Barbaresco—have never enjoyed a single bottle of Lessona wine. The Clerico family produces around 200 cases of Lessona each year, and a fraction thereof comes to the US.
Massimo Clerico’s ancestors have farmed grapes in Lessona since the 1700s and are regarded as founding fathers of the local wine culture. 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. Nebbiolo reigns supreme as Lessona’s dominant variety, just as in Barolo or Barbaresco, but this village’s sandy soils are situated two hours further Northeast into the foothills of the Swiss-Italian alps. In this breathtaking and mountainous setting, Nebbiolo assumes a striking character—tannins are more finely grained, alcohol remains moderate, fruit is more defined and energetic. These wines require significant patience before they reach their ideal window for consumption. Today’s 2010 Riserva, for instance, is absolutely singing today, but I have zero doubt it possesses the architecture and fine-tuned balance to evolve for another 10+ years.
Massimo Clerico bottled today’s wine exclusively from his own grapes. Everything is done in-house—literally—at this tiny family estate. Massimo’s home 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. Three small vineyards that encircle the family home come together to produce this bottling: 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, “Putin” was planted 1984, and only the best Nebbiolo clusters from these vines are put into today’s bottling.
Like everything else at the Clerico 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 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. In the case of Lessona Riserva, the DOC regulations stipulate that the wine must be aged a minimum of 46 months before release, 30 of which must be in barrel; Massimo exceeded those minimums as well.
For every noble Nebbiolo growing appellation in the northwestern corner of Italy—Barolo, Barbaresco, and here in Lessona—2010 was a superlative growing season. Actually, let’s be honest: 2010 is one for the books in almost every growing region in western Europe! Today’s 2010 Lessona Riserva builds upon the vintage’s already stellar reputation with dark cherry and currant fruit, fresh tobacco, distant tar and leather notes, plus a finessed violet/dried rose florality on the nose—this final detail is Clerico’s signature. The palate adds white tea tannins, perigord truffles, and a dusting of shattered stone and white pepper treble notes. This is an absolutely superb expression of Nebbiolo. I recommend decanting your first bottle for one hour before serving in large Burgundy stems at 60 degrees, and savoring it slowly with a robust, classic dish like osso buco. Furthermore, I learned last weekend that today’s wine is even more expressive on day two, which reinforces my expectation that it promises well over a decade of evolution ahead. This bottle will be one you enjoy revisiting in years to come, and it absolutely deserves a seat in your cellar next to your finest bottles of Bordeaux and Burgundy. Cheers!
