Vercellino. Coste della Sesia Rosso

Coste della Sesia DOC.
Grape: Nebbiolo 70%, Barbera, Croatina, Vespolina and Uva Rare

2022 was a very hot and very dry vintage which produced some truly remarkable wines.  Deep damson, bitter cherry and plum, a touch of spice and a firm tannic grip betraying the cauldron this wine was born in.  The result is an extraordinary wine, with real power and length.  13.5%

Tenute Vercellino producer page

Valdengo borders Lessona, unfortunately it is on the wrong side, so the most prestigious DOC available is the little known ‘Costa della Sesia DOC’.  Before Italy pigeon-holed its wines into DOC boxes, Valdengo, Vigliano and Mottalciata were all considered villages of Lessona, all they share now is Nebbiolo and the yellow, maritime sands - a combination that makes these wines truly unique.
The vines have an average age of over 70.  The vineyard is Guyot trained with hail nets, fortunately these were not required in 2022 but 2021 sadly had done enough damage to limit production.  Grapes are hand-picked and de-stemmed, before a spontaneous, temperature-controlled fermentation.  Maturation is in steel, and the wine is bottled without filtration.