Piedmont is the most exciting and diverse winemaking region in Italy. Truth be told, there are many regions vying for that title (Sicily, Campania, Alto Adige…I could go on), but when push comes to shove, I think Piedmont takes it. Among its many natural gifts is the Nebbiolo grape, arguably the most “noble” native red in Italy, which is available in so many shades of awesome it’s hard to know where to start (or stop).
If you’re a Nebbiolo lover, you likely started in the regions of Barolo and Barbaresco, but whatever you do, don’t stop there: Further north in Piedmont, in the foothills of the Swiss-Italian Alps, are a string of mostly tiny wine appellations making a huge impact on the modern Italian wine scene. If you haven’t heard of Gattinara, Ghemme, Bramaterra, or the home of Massimo Clerico—Lessona—you haven’t been paying attention, but the appeal of today’s wine is the same for neophytes and experts alike: It perfectly encapsulates everything that’s special about this region, at a remarkably affordable price. “Ca’ du Leria” hails from a single vineyard, is produced in minuscule quantities, and is a one-stop master class in the terroir of
alto Piemonte (“upper Piedmont”). If you’ve been following our Daily Offers lately, you know we’ve had a string of screaming deals on great Piedmontese Nebbiolo—but this one may be the best yet!
Over the years, we’ve offered just about every wine Massimo Clerico makes, so his story will be familiar to some. The Clerico family’s winemaking roots in northern Piedmont go back to the 1700s, and when the Lessona growing zone was “officially” recognized as a DOC (Denomination of Controlled Origin) in 1976, Massimo Clerico’s father, Sandrino, was one of the first growers to use the designation. As with all the appellations of northern Piedmont, Lessona is quite small, with only about 23 hectares of vineyards registered under the DOC. The Clericos farm only about two hectares within Lessona proper—and still they’re one of the largest landholders in the appellation!
Today’s wine carries the “Coste della Sesia” DOC designation, which, for value-hunters, is one to commit to memory as soon as possible. This appellation covers a geographic area reaching from the northerly town of Biella to the banks (coste) of the Sesia River, which originates in the Alps and flows southward to meet up with the Pò. Much like producers of Barolo and Barbaresco use “Langhe Nebbiolo” or “Nebbiolo d’Alba” for wines that fall outside of the Barolo/Barbaresco appellation parameters for whatever reason(s), producers in alto Piemonte use either “Coste della Sesia” (west of the Sesia) or “Colline Novaresi.”
Yet while the appellation name may be more geographically broad, “Ca’ du Leria” is very specific: It’s a steep-sloping single vineyard, “Vigna Leria,” situated right next to the Clerico family home. As with most vineyards in the Lessona region, it sits on what was once a seabed, in soils of ancient marine sand; in addition to Nebbiolo, which comprises 50% of this wine, the site is planted to the other local red varieties Croatina (30%) and Vespolina (20%). Both the latter are kindred-spirit varieties to Nebbiolo, heightening the spice/earth/floral qualities of the resulting wine.
As we’ve noted in past Clerico offers, this is the ultimate in “traditional” Piedmontese winemaking: everything is done painstakingly by hand and the wines are aged in large, used oak casks. And as many of you know, 2015 was a particularly hot and therefore “generous” vintage throughout Europe, lending the wines a deeper fruit component and softer tannins. The 2015 “Ca’ du Leria” is true to form in that regard, but we’re still talking about a wine which, by nature, is a more finessed, lower-alcohol, less tannic wine than the typical Barolo or Barbaresco. If I were teaching a class on the wines of the Alto Piemonte, this is most definitely a bottle I’d want in my bag—it’s a perfect expression of place.
In the glass, it’s a light, translucent garnet-red moving to pink/orange at the rim, with a perfumed nose of wild strawberry, cherry, currant, orange peel, leather, rose petals, tobacco, and underbrush. It’s a lithe, beautiful woodland creature of a wine: medium-bodied, quite silky for Nebbiolo, and at once rustic and refined. If you love traditional, woodsy styles of red Burgundy (Pommard, Gevrey-Chambertin), you’ll love this—especially given the price. Decant it 30 minutes before serving at 60 degrees (or cooler even, especially as the weather heats up) in Burgundy stems and you’ll enjoy the perfectly modulated Nebbiolo experience for this time of year. Grilled or roasted chicken, pork, and even salmon will make ideal accompaniments, so don’t rule this out as a “house wine” candidate. It’s impossible to stop at one, I’ll tell you that. Enjoy!
