Description

Vigneti Massa Derthona could easily be considered in the top handful of Italian white wines. The Massa Piccolo Derthona is like the Petit Chablis of the Derthona appellation. It is of a style with its big brother but also its own wine. Lighter and accentuating the freshness and perfume of the grape. It still has the tangy acid and glorious fruit that makes Timorasso such a gorgeous drink.

Massa Piccolo Derthona will be a great addition to your summer collection.

If you don’t drink them all this summer, they’ll be even better over the next 2-7.

I drove a long way to visit the Massa winery and was rewarded with a magical tasting of both Timorasso and Barbera (who knew?). The area itself is visually stunning, and the work Walter Massa put into saving and then growing the plantings of Timorasso is sensational. From 400 vines in the 1980s to 117 producers and more than 500 hectares. There is not a bad wine here at Vigneti Massa: Timorasso is some of the best white wine in Italy, their Barbera was some of the best I tasted on my visit to Italy.

Vigneti Massa Piccolo Derthona Colli Tortonesi DOC Timorasso Winery Notes

“‘Marca Obertenga’ – multiple parcels for a total of about 11 hectares, the soil of different origins varies from marly to calcareous clay. The exhibits face west to east to north and south.

White wine obtained from several parcel of land in Monleale (IT)

The Derthona of Vigneti Massa is produced exclusively from white grapes that have always been cultivated in the Apennine and pre-Apennine hills of the “marca Obertenga”; with phylloxera has risked extinction, now it is regaining the ancient spaces: from 4 hectares in 2000 to the current 150 hectares cultivated by over forty producers. The Derthona comes from a cold maceration of about 40/45 hours, with subsequent fermentation for about 12 months in stainless steel tanks and periodic “batonnage” of the lees for about 12 months. After about 14 months from the harvest, it is bottled in the classic 0.75lt format, in a small 0.500lt bottle, in 1.5lt magnum, and in double 3lt magnums.”

Piedmont 

Piedmont is one of the most significant wine regions in the world. Its name means the ‘foot of the mountain’. Piedmont is in the North-Western reach of Italy. There are a lot of parallels drawn between the best wines of Piedmont (Barolo and Barbaresco) and the wines of Burgundy. The region neighbours France and Switzerland with its border defined by the Alps to the North and west and Apennines to the South. These natural defences kept the Ligurians safe from Roman invasions. Luckily it didn’t work forever, as we may not have the wines that we cherish today.

Timorasso

Timorasso is from Piedmont and was nearly extinct not that long ago. It was rescued and revived in the hills of Colli Tortonesi which is a fair drive from Barolo but absolutely worth the effort for an greater understanding of one of Italy’s best white grapes. The appellation is called Derthona. More than a few of the great Piedmontese producers have embraced the grape and the region, slowly lifting the profile. Timorasso is a thick-skinned grape that is capable of making beautiful wines. Floral notes and orchard fruits, rich palate with mineral hints. The best can improve with long-term bottle aging.

Italian Wine

There are 1000s and 1000s of grapes in Italy. There are sub-alpine cool-climate regions in the North, and Sun-baked vineyards in the South. Add to that, volcanoes and many cultures within one Country. You could struggle to find anything uniform about the wines. The best of the best include Tuscan reds from Sangiovese or Cabernet. Nebbiolo from Piedmont, especially Barolo and Barbaresco. The aromatic whites of NE Italy from Garganega, Pinot Grigio, and numerous crazy blends. The volcanic wines of Mt Etna in Sicily. And many more.

The only generalisation I will make is that a lot of Italian wine is undervalued when compared to a similar French style.

Wine

Wine is the result you get from fermented grape juice. There is proof of wine production dating back 8000 years ago. Fashions, innovations and many other factors have influenced the way wine has evolved over the years.

The wine grape is special. It contains everything you need to make grape wine except for the yeast, which lives on the outside of the skins.

Human inputs can influence the final product, including the viticulture (growing) choices. And the winemaker can shape the wine to a point too.

The best wines of the world often refer to terroir. Terroir is a French term that refers to all the climatic, geological and topographical influences on a specific piece of land. And it is true that neighbouring vineyards, grown identically, can taste noticeably different.

White Wine

It is interesting to know that you can make white wine from almost any grape. The colour comes from the skins, and if there is no contact, there is no colour. White wines tend to be delicate, perfumed, higher in acid and lower in alcohol. It seems for this and many other reasons, it is hard to make an incredibly impressive white wine. But those that have mastered the art are indeed some of the best winemakers in the world.

It is a falsehood to think that white wine does not age as well as red wine. But it is correct that white wine, as a rule, doesn’t age for as long.

The Wine Depository

I, Phil, have been running The Wine Depository since 2011. The Wine Depository exists to make sure you are drinking the good wines. You can browse and pick what is interesting to you. Or you can make contact with me. I’ll make sure you get what you want, to your palate, to your budget and to your door.