In 1999, Paolo De Marchi and his son Luca began laying the foundation to bring back the original family cellars in Lessona. With the goal of bringing the legendary wines of northern Piedmont back into the limelight. The first vintage 2004 was released in 2006. Most of the vines owned by Proprietà Sperino are in the historic district of Ori (meaning ‘gold’ in Italian), so-called for its bright yellow, deep marine sands characterizing the soil on the sunny pre-alpine plateau of Orolungo.

Proprietà Sperino now counts eight hectares of vines, at the foot of Monte Rosa. Six are in Lessona, split between the Belvedere, Ormeggio, Castagnola, Rava and Covà vineyards. The other two and a half make up the Madonna degli Angeli vineyard around the hamlet of Forte, in Bramaterra country. The mineral rich sands of this area are unique to the Piedmont. The cellars are located in the old castle of Lessona, dating back over 200 years. This may be one of the most important and historical wine restoration projects in Italy today.

Technical Information:

• Varietals: 100% Nebbiolo. Rootstocks 3309-C, Gloire de Montpellier, 101-14, Gravesac, Rupestris du Lot.

• Vineyards: The grapes for this wine come from the Ormeggio and Castagnola vineyards in Lessona in the Orolungo region, the Covà vineyard in Castello and the Monfalcone vineyards. Plant density 5.000 vines per hectare.

• Soils: In the Lessona vineyards, soils comprise marine sands from the Pliocene period on igneous rock, mixed with more recent glacial sediment. The soil is acid (pH 4.5 - 5.5) rich in minerals and trace elements including iron, manganese, aluminum and zinc.

• Altitude: 290-350 meters above sea level.

• Harvest: The grapes are hand-picked into small boxes.

• Vinification The grapes are sorted while on the conveyor belt, then destemmed and gently pressed then fed by gravity into the fermentation tank. Fermentation with natural yeasts in open topped wooden fermenters. Skin maceration lasts 21 days, with regular punching down of the cap. The wine then remained 18 months sur lie.

• Ageing The wine ages in barrels and oval 15 hectoliter casks for 32 months. Bottling: August 2016. Further ageing in bottle for some time before release