Description
In 1984, Arturo Pelizzatti Perego, rich with experience from his father’s and grandfather’s wine estate, gave birth to Arpepe, with the objective of developing to its full potential the unique growing area that is the Valtellina. Embodying all the pride and tenacity required for such an undertaking, he started off by producing a long-aged Nebbiolo, following the dictates of the centuries-old local tradition. Today, Isabella, Emanuele and Guido continue the work of their father, with the invaluable assistance of carefully selected, state-of-the-art technology and a passionate and youthful team.
Valtellina is a glacier-carved valley set in the Alpi Retiche and Orobie, extending 120 km from the Stelvio Pass to the Como Lake. The south-facing terraced vineyards are set into the Alpine slope like some precious jewel, and they are warmed by the sun from dawn to sunset, tempered by the cool winds from the north. The dry-stone rock walls hold in the nutrient-poor soils composed of flaked metamorphic rock; here, since pre-Roman times, the roots of the Nebbiolo delle Alpi have been founding nourishment for developing a rich genetic diversity that has no peer. Today, at harvest, the clusters are carried on the pickers’ shoulders in small baskets to our cellar, hewn into the mountain, where the juice is fermented in acacia, chestnut, and oak large barrels.
In growing years in which the ripening progress of the grapes presages a fermentation and maturation that will showcase the youthful qualities of the Nebbiolo delle Alpi, we produce our Valtellina Superiore. Sassella, Grumello, and Inferno areas are the heart of this DOCG, in which our grapes, growing at elevations of 400-600 metres, best convey the delicate balance between the grapevine and its challenging growing conditions. The carefully selected clusters are harvested at the moment of perfect ripeness, then the must ferments and macerates in wooden vats for a period that varies according to the growing year. The characteristics and quality of the tannins determine the length of maturation, between 12 and 24 months, in large barrels, followed by a bottle-ageing of at least 12 months.
“These wines from Ar.Pe.Pe. (an abbreviation of founder Arturo Pelizzatti Perego’s initials) are among the most impressive I tasted for this article. From top to bottom, the wines are deserving of serious attention. The super-traditional style will leave lovers of translucent Nebbiolo weak at the knees. Ar.Pe.Pe. releases many of their top wines with a good bit of bottle age, which makes them terrific choices for readers looking for Nebbiolo with the nuances that can only develop over time. Perhaps most importantly, Ar.Pe.Pe. shows just how pedigreed the wines of Valtellina can be. ” Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media
About this wine from the winemaker .. “The Valtellina Superiore Inferno Fiamme Antiche DOCG speaks to us of granitic rock heated in the sun, soaring up into the air like a flame, filling our nostrils with its heady fragrance. The warmth is the secret of the perfect ripening of the grapes, which come exclusively from steep, sun-drenched slopes in the municipality of Poggiridenti.
A Nebbiolo with finely textured tannins and a lively freshness, with a bouquet of Alpine herbs and of the earth it comes from. Its colour recalls a true Maranello red, but the steep Arboleé road, which from the third curve of the “Inferno Circuit”, leads to the vineyard, is apparently not suited to racing cars…”
96 points, Gary Walsh, The Wine Front “Poached strawberry and cherry, aniseed/liquorice root. Juicy liquorice-laced pumice stone and volcanic dusty tannin is terrific, and it’s so spicy and long to close. What a specific and terroir driven wine this is. Unlike anything else. Tannins really rip here. Unreal. Next level in 2019. Succulence and DNA of Nebbiolo is so firm and wonderful.”
RRP $123 Our Price $99.99 – limited.
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