Most waking hours of my life are spent in pursuit of the world’s greatest wines. I dedicate hours each day to tasting in importer warehouses, tearing through FedEx boxes, and traveling to taste face-to-face with the world’s top producers. It is both the most exciting aspect of my work and the most critical to the success of SommSelect. Still, sometimes all the tasting in the world doesn’t deliver the “next level” wine experience our customers demand. Sometimes, we have already discovered the best of the best, and no matter how many new wines I taste, I keep coming back to these perennial favorites. Such is the case with Massimo Clerico and his stunning Lessona Riserva: I taste a lot of Barbaresco and Barolo every month, but I’m often left lamenting that so few Nebbiolo-based Piedmont reds deliver the quality and consistency of today’s wine.

I’ve written before that the Northern Piedmont hamlet of Lessona is renowned for the quality and cellar potential of its best wines. Unfortunately, its reputation is also severely 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. These two hectares make him the third-largest landholder in the appellation! So, needless to say, many wine enthusiasts—even lovers of Barolo and Barbaresco—have never enjoyed a single bottle of Lessona.

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 sub-alpine setting, Nebbiolo assumes a strikingly different character—tannins are tighter and more finely grained, alcohol is more moderate, fruit is more defined and energetic. The best of these wines require significant patience before they reach their ideal window for consumption. Today’s gorgeous example from the decidedly young-drinking 2012 vintage is somewhat of an exception: it’s already opened up “early” with 7+ years of age, and you may “only” have another 12-18 years left to enjoy it during its optimal drinking window!  

Massimo’s underground cellar dates back to 1740 and is stocked with equipment from decades past. After harvest—done the old-fashioned way, like everything else on the property—grape clusters are destemmed before beginning a weeks-long fermentation. By law, Lessona only needs to spend a year aging in barrel before release, but Massimo ages his wines much longer—three years is not unusual, and today’s 2012 vintage rested for 40 months! In comparison, other current Lessona releases in the market are from the 2016 vintage while today’s 2012 from Clerico is his current release!

This wine doesn’t rest in one’s glass so much as it holds court—kingly aromas of black cherry, black currant, mulberry, Maduro cigar tobacco, Perigord truffle, volcanic and white stone, all dusted with the essence of delicate floral and spice notes that distinguish the elite examples of northern Piedmont Nebbiolo. Tannins are impressively refined—imagine the finest oolong tea; not “muscular” or overly “assertive” as is so often the case with mid-tier Nebbiolo. And the finish?  Let’s just say the best part of this movie is the ending. Infinite, echoing, sonorous, profound— however you want to put it.  Just rest assured that Clerico has, once again, created a masterpiece. With that in mind, please treat it with respect by decanting for 1-2 hours and serving in your finest Burgundy stems at 60 degrees. And if you want to have your brain melted by one of the world’s great food and wine pairings, please serve this work of art alongside a platter of agnolotti dal plin in brown butter with crisped sage leaves. Buon Appetito!