Massimo Clerico’s small lot of Nebbiolo from the absurdly small DOC of Lessona—a northern Italian appellation planted to less than 40 acres of vines—is one of those mythical bottles that makes you view wine in a new light. It’s a breathtaking example of how an unknown region can compete with biggest and best of them.
When a wine is aged for 36 months in oak and spends multiple years in bottle before release, there is a good chance your mind automatically races toward the finest producers of Barolo or Rioja. Who would ever imagine the tiny hamlet of Lessona is crafting wine with the same (if not more) patience and attention to detail? Obscure DOC appellation notwithstanding, this memorable red has it all: a legendary vintage; seven years of age; painfully limited production; plus the complexity and cellar-worthiness of its much-costlier southern Piedmontese neighbors (Barolo and Barbaresco). The Clerico family produces around 250 cases of Lessona annually, and we are constantly fighting for the small fraction that reaches the States. This year we emerged victorious and can allow up to one case per person—at a great price for such a landmark wine! [NOTE: This wine is being special ordered from New York and will ship from the SommSelect warehouse the week of May 21].
We’ve said before that the northern Piedmontese town of Lessona is renowned for the quality and long cellar potential of its best Nebbiolo-based reds. Unfortunately, its reputation 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 five acres of vines in the village. Even so, this makes Massimo the third-largest landholder in the appellation! Consequently, most wine enthusiasts—even experienced lovers of Barolo and Barbaresco—have never enjoyed a single bottle of Lessona wine.
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 with the Lessona DOC designation. 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 North 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 right now, 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 48-year-old Nebbiolo, and serves as the backbone and majority fruit source for this wine. Finally, “Putin” was planted in 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 exceeds 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 vintage. 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. Additionally, the wine is even more expressive on day two, which reinforces my expectation that it will age gracefully over the coming decade. 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!
