ARPEPE

Most people know Nebbiolo from Barolo or Barbaresco. Far fewer know what it does when it grows on near-vertical granite terraces 700 metres above sea level, just south of the Swiss border. ARPEPE, a small family estate in the Valtellina valley of Lombardy, has been making that case since 1860, and with particular conviction since 1984. The wines are among the most singular expressions of the grape anywhere in Italy.

History

The family's story in Valtellina goes back to around 1860, when great-great-grandfather Giovanni Pelizzatti founded a winery in the area that would become well-known under the Pelizzatti name. The business ran successfully for generations until the 1970s, when Guido Pelizzatti, grandfather of the current generation, fell ill. Without consensus among the family heirs, the decision was made to sell the Pelizzatti brand and divide the vineyards, with most plots rented out on long-term contracts. Guido's son Arturo Pelizzatti Perego refused to let it end there. He waited out the rental contracts, and in 1984 refounded the estate under a new name built from his own initials: ARPEPE. He started again with 6 hectares and a single wine, the Sassella Riserva Rocce Rosse. In 2004, Arturo died, as his father had before him, and his three children, Isabella, Emanuele, and Guido, took over as the fifth generation.

In 2018, ARPEPE's Sassella Riserva Rocce Rosse 2007 was named Best Italian Red Wine of the Year by Gambero Rosso's Vini d'Italia.

The Vineyards

ARPEPE has 13 hectares of vineyards, spread across three subzones of the Valtellina Superiore DOCG: Sassella, Grumello, and Inferno. The winery itself is built on the hillside in Sondrio, directly besides the Grumello Castle. The labour for a single hectare takes around 1,500 hours of labour per year, compared to 250 hours in more flat Italian vineyards, because of the steep terraced slopes: machine work is almost impossible. Almost everything is done by hand.

The Terroir

The Valtellina valley runs east to west between the Rhaetian and Orobian Alps, which means the south-facing slopes where the vines grow catch maximum sun throughout the day while remaining cooled by northerly mountain breezes. The soils are primarily granite, sandy and schistose, shallow and well-drained, with slate and rocky outcrops throughout. Sassella, the most prized subzone, sits on the shallowest and most craggy ground, which produces wines with strong mineral character. Grumello, where the winery is based, has slightly more clay, giving its wines a rounder, fruitier profile. Inferno, further east, is named for the intense heat that builds on its south-facing rocks.

The Grapes

ARPEPE works exclusively with Nebbiolo, known locally as Chiavennasca. The name Chiavennasca, referring to the town of Chiavenna at the valley's western end, is among the oldest recorded names for the variety, and Valtellina is considered one of the grape's oldest growing areas. At this altitude and latitude, Nebbiolo produces wines that are lighter in colour and more aromatic than its Piemonte counterparts, with high acidity, firm tannins, and a distinct mineral quality from the granitic soils.

Winemaking

The ARPEPE approach is rooted in patience and minimal intervention. Fermentation is followed by long, gentle macerations. Aging takes place in large old casks, typically of chestnut, Slavonian oak, or French oak, all steam-bent without any toasting, which means they impart very little wood character to the wine.

Riserva wines spend close to five years in cask before bottling, followed by further time in bottle before release. The underground cellar in Sondrio, dug directly into the hillside, provides naturally stable temperature and humidity. There are no barriques, no new oak, no shortcuts.

The Wines

The range runs from the entry-level Rosso di Valtellina, first produced in the challenging 2003 vintage, to a series of single-vineyard Valtellina Superiore wines, and at the top, three Riservas. In Sassella: Rocce Rosse (the flagship), Ultimi Raggi, and Nuova Regina. In Grumello: Buon Consiglio and Rocca de Piro. In Inferno: Sesto Canto and Fiamme Antiche.

The estate also produces the Il Pettirosso and only produced in excellent vintages.