La Spinetta, Colli Tortonesi Timorasso, “Piccolo Derthona”

Okay, everyone, I think it’s safe to say we have a bona-fide Italian wine phenomenon on our hands: the arrival of the obscure Timorasso grape on the world white wine stage. Grown only in a small section of eastern Piedmont, this variety—like so many of Italy’s hyper-local indigenous cultivars—may well have disappeared altogether had it not been for a few devoted local growers in the area around Tortona. But its wines proved good enough to attract the attention of some big-name producers a little to the west in Barolo/Barbaresco: One was Barolista Luca Currado of Vietti, who released his first Timorasso in 2018, and now comes a stunning new release from Giorgio Rivetti of Barbaresco’s La Spinetta.

Italian wine aficionados will instantly recognize the famous La Spinetta rhinoceros (courtesy of German artist Albrecht Durer) from the estate’s cult-classic Barbaresco reds, and it’s no small thing for a producer like Rivetti to not merely bottle a wine from far-off Tortona but acquire vineyards there with which to do so. This Timorasso thing has legs: The variety is prized for its rigid acidic backbone, its aromatic lift, and its ability to transmit minerality, so much so that the Piedmontese believe it to be their answer to Chardonnay from Chablis, Grüner from Austria, or Chenin from the Loire. They are, in short, gunning for the greats, which Rivetti is eminently qualified to do. For lovers of wines that are once racy and textured, here’s a new-generation Italian white poised to knock your socks off!

It would be safe to call La Spinetta a phenomenon as well. Giuseppe “Pin” Rivetti and his wife, Lidia, farmed vines in and around Castagnole delle Lanze, a village right at the edge of the Barbaresco zone most famous for Moscato grapes. They eventually turned the reins over to their children—Carlo, Bruno, Giorgio, and Giovanna—who began commercially releasing wines (mostly Moscatos) in the late-1970s. Over time, of course, they expanded into Barbaresco, as Giorgio burst onto the scene in the 1990s with single-vineyard blockbusters from the “Gallina,” “Starderi,” and “Valeirano” crus. Since then, La Spinetta has expanded into Barolo; acquired the iconic Contratto winery (famed for its método classico sparklers); and developed an estate in Tuscany’s Maremma called Casanova della Spinetta. In 2018, they found a few hectares in Tortona to get into the Timorasso game—and, not surprisingly, they did it in grand style.

The “Colli Tortonesi” DOC zone, which remains exceedingly small in terms of total vineyard acreage, covers to the hills (colli) around Tortona, an ancient town in Piedmont’s Alessandria province, not far from Piedmont’s mountainous border with Liguria. Tortona was historically known as Derthona, or Dertona, and many Timorasso-based wines (including this one) carry that archaic name on their labels. Like so many Italian grape varieties, Timorasso effectively grows here and nowhere else; it had been practically extinct until a visionary local producer named Walter Massa resurrected it and began attracting serious critical attention in the early 2000s.

The La Spinetta vineyards in the appellation climb to about 300 meters’ elevation in the towns of Montemarzino and Montegioco, in soils of calcareous (i.e. limestone-infused) marl, sand, and clay—soils that resemble those of Barbaresco/Barolo. As with other Timorasso bottlings we’ve enjoyed, Spinetta’s ’19 employs no oak in the aging process, and doesn’t miss it—there’s nice texture imparted by eight months of aging on the lees, complementing the bright fruit and racy acidity. There are a few analogs that come to mind upon tasting it: Smaragd-level Grüner Veltiner from the Wachau; steely Chablis; and Chenin Blanc from Saumur are all hinted at here. In the glass, it’s a glistening straw-yellow with hints of green at the rim, bursting with scents of green apple, citrus, wildflower honey, sea salt, and green almond carrying over to the medium-bodied palate. It is a fascinating new sensation for lovers of structured white wines and will be a perfect partner for green salads, seafood, or a strong, salty Piedmontese cheese like Castelmagno. Decant it 15 minutes or so before serving in all-purpose white wine stems at 45-50 degrees and brace yourself for a welcome jolt of energy. Enjoy!

La Spinetta, Colli Tortonesi Timorasso, “Piccolo Derthona” Fashion

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