Harvested from the steep slopes of Lombardy’s Rhaetian Alps along the Swiss border, the 2018 La Perla di Marco Triacca Valtellina Superiore 'Riserva Elisa' makes its exclusive US debut. While 2021 Cru Barolo and Barbaresco flood the market with young energy, we head high into the clouds for the tense elegance and pure transparency that these steep Alpine slopes pull out of Nebbiolo. Marco held this single-vineyard bottling through six full years of patient cellar maturation: four years in neutral older oak followed by two years in bottle. It is an extraordinary release, and world-renowned Italian wine critic Kerin O’Keefe is spot on in her 95-point review, praising its "extreme elegance, racy tension, and high-altitude intensity."

Transporting you straight into Valtellina’s terraced granite and sand landscape, ‘Riserva Elisa’ delivers a striking, highly regional aromatic signature. Sourced from the steep La Perla single vineyard in Valgella, it relies on a rare, traditional technique: in late October, workers snip the cane connecting each grape cluster to the vine. The fruit is left hanging in the crisp mountain air to dry directly on the plant until a late-November harvest, losing 30% of its water weight. This natural concentration yields rich fruit, firm tannins, and vibrant mountain acidity without sacrificing a drop of fresh perfume.

Founded in 2009, La Perla highlights Marco Triacca’s mastery of micro-terroir on narrow terraces planted in 1980. Trained in his family’s signature "Triacca system" (a modified double Guyot method), these 40-plus-year-old vines produce a Nebbiolo of exceptional structure and finesse. Pressed rose, alpine herbs, and a subtle balsamic lift yield to a palate of spiced red fruit, dusty granite tannins, and a lingering licorice-root finish—a cellar-worthy red built for years of evolution.

Molte Grazie!

Critical Acclaim:

95 points, Kerin O'Keefe:

"The 2018 Valtellina Superiore Elisa Riserva has a lovely nose recalling pressed rose, lavender, forest berry, citrus, rosemary and Alpine mint. The full-bodied, structured palate shows elegant restraint and precision, featuring spiced cranberry, red cherry, licorice and menthol before a blood orange close. Taut, fine-grained tannins provide support. Drink through 2038.." - Kerin O’Keefe 2/26