This is a wine most of you would never have heard of, let alone have tried. It is a Nebbiolo, but not from Piedmont, rather from further north, in fact east of Lake Como. Dirupi has many vineyards, and this wine is a blend of the best fruit from them.
The 2012 Dirupi Valtellina Superiore displays a light colour, but not the typical garnet of Piedmont Nebbiolo. It is fresher, more pink in colour. Lifted aromas of rose petal and cherry emerge from the glass. The wine is very vibrant and smooth on the palate, not intense, but with an expanding mouthfeel, not unlike good Pinot Noir. Cherry flavours dominate on the palate, before the wine finishes with soft and smooth tannins. For those who find Barolo too brooding and tough, this is for you. This wine has personality and is a lot of fun, but coming from a serious wine. Apparently, it was the talk of the latest Vinitaly show.
This wine costs half of the entry level Barolos of good makers and can easily match it with them. I encourage you to hunt it down (which may not be easy). It can be kept for at least seven years, but my preference would be to drink this wine in the next 1-2 years.
Score: 93/+++
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