Ar.pe.pe – Museum Release of Inferno Fiamme Antiche 1997-2010 + Riservas


Nebbiolo from the North is a beautiful thing! The first time, I had the pleasure of devouring Ar.pe.pe’s wines has lead me on a trip through Valtellina.
These are vital, alive wines of grace and sophistication. Drinking them over 2-3 days revealed new, aromas and flavours with every sniff and mouthful.

For the first time, I had the pleasure of devouring a few wines from Ar.pe.pe early last year. These are vital, alive wines of grace and sophistication. Drinking them over 2-3 days revealed new, aromas and flavours with every sniff and mouthful.

Chiavennasca is a synonym for Nebbiolo. The name used in Valtellina for the variety.

Today’s Offer

In conjunction with a special visit to Australia by Isabella Perego of Ar.pe.pe we have both the last of the current release Ar.pe.pe’s and a special shipment of museum wines anchored around a vertical of the Inferno Fiamme Antiche!

Valtellina Superiore’s

2015 Sassella Stella Retica

2015 Grumello Rocca del Piro

A Vertical of Valtellina Superiore Inferno Fiamme Antiche DOCG 1997, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 & 2010

Gary Walsh on the 2015 Fiamme Antiche 96 Points

The winemaker at Ar.Pe.Pe, Emanuele Pelizzatti Perego (or Manu, for short), is a top shelf bloke. Likes a bit of metal, wears a leather belt full of studs, and makes wine like an angel.

Thyme, flowering herbs, cherry, blackcurrant. Medium-bodied, layers of flavour, amaro herbs, redcurrant and blackcurrant, clarity of acidity and ‘mineral’ feel, dusty fine tannin of persistence, liquorice root wafting so seductively, so long and complete. Far out. What a wine. I’ve written 95-96 in my notes, but given my own enthusiasm here…

Valtellina Riserva’s

2009 Sassella Rocce Rosse
2009 Sassella Vigna Regina
2009 Grumello Buon Consiglio
2009 Inferno Sesto Canto

1999 Valtellina Superiore Riserva Sassella Vigna Regina
1996 Valtellina Superiore Riserva Sassella Rocce Rosse
1995 Valtellina Superiore Riserva Grumello Buon Consiglio

Details of each of the wines can be found in the review section below.

About Ar.Pe.Pe

In 1984, Arturo Pelizzatti Perego, bolstered by the experience gained in his father’s and grandfather’s firm, decided to create ARPEPE. His aim was to realize the full potential of the unique Valtellina terroir with all the pride and determination required for such an ambitious goal. To do so, Arturo started producing long-ageing Nebbiolo wines according to the rules of the oldest traditions.

The video of the 2017 Vintage will give you a sense of the extreme environment and dedication taken to make these wines. Beyond that just try them!

Today, Isabella (winemaker), Emanuele and Guido Pelizzatti Perego continue their father’s work as the fifth generation of winemakers and growers. In just a few years, thanks to careful technological innovations and the choice of a young and passionate team, Arturo’s dream has come true: his rare wines are once again a major point of reference on the national and international wine scene.

About Nebbiolo

Nebbiolo, pronounced NEH-bee-oh-low, is such a unique variety. The name is derived from the Italian word Nebbia meaning fog. Two theories for the name exist. The first that it refers to the fog that the vineyards of the Langhe are often immersed in. Second that the natural bloom that covers the grapes gives them a foggy appearance. Given the latter applies to most red grapes I prefer the former! There are 4 main clones of which Nebbiolo Lampia dominates over  Nebbiolo Michet, Rosé (now proven to be a different variety), and, Bolla.

Where is it grown?

Southern central and north Piemonte: Langhe including Verduno, Roero, Ast, Carema, Biella, Novara and Vercelli. It is also grown in the lower parts of the Valle d’Aosta where it is known as Picotendroi, and, Valtellina in Lombardy where it is known as Chiavennasca, among others.

What does it taste like?

The ultimate case of not judging a book by its cover, Nebbiolo, at first appears pale in colour, old wines can have the appearance of rusty tap water.

Then you smell it! The aroma of most red wines is dominated by fruit characters. In contrast, Nebbiolo’s aroma is typically a mix of complex secondary aromas, earthy, tarry, spice, rose, citrus peel, woody herbs like rosemary, liquorice, phenol, dark chocolate, tobacco, truffles, leather, and, dark cherry fruit, often more evident on the palate. You’ll see this difference immediately by comparing it two the other two main Piedmontese varieties Barbera and Dolcetto.

Good Nebbiolo has a core of fruit running the length of your tongue, along with layers of those same secondary characters. Nebbiolo’s grape tannins give it a distinct texture, that for those who have not tried it before can seem hard, and, unyielding. Look for the quality and depth of tannin.

Achieving well balance tannin, alcohol, and, acidity makes for great Nebbiolo.

More than most other Italian wines, Nebbiolo, demands food to be at it’s best. A little fat and salt, enhance the texture and bring out the flavours.

Nebbiolo from Valtellina tends to be more feminine, tannin management more critical during the winemaking process. Well managed vineyards produce wines with a great core of vibrant fruit and fine texture.

The Ar.Pe.Pe Vintages

Given the extreme nature of the vineyards and the climate in Valtellina, all wines are not made every year. It appears that when the DOCG Riservas are made no DOCG Superiore is made. There are years when neither DOCG is made and only the DOC Rosso di Valtellina is produced.

The Vintage chart below shows just how long we have to wait between vintages of Superiore and Riserva! The jump from 2009 to 2013 for Riservas will be a tough one to last out!

Click to enlarge🔎

Where in the World is Ar.Pe.Pe?

Piedmont is not the only Italian region to produce Nebbiolo! Valtellina Superiore is a thin horizontal strip in the very north of Italy above Milan.

Ar.Pe.Pe’s vineyards cover the Sassella, Grumello and Inferno sub-regions. Sondrio, Valtellina’s largest town is in the middle, Sassella the orange area to the left, Grumello the lime to the right and Inferno the burnt red just past Grumello.

Click to Enlarge🔎

About the Wines


Superiore's

Castel Grumello, the property of the De Piro family in the fourteenth century, is a twin fortress, consisting of two separate complexes once joined by walls, overlooking the hill with Nebbiolo from the Alps vineyards.

It gives its name to this wine, which is made with grapes from the two company-owned vineyards in the Grumello area. In years when low levels of tannins suggest brief ageing in large barrels, the Valtellina Superiore Grumello Rocca De Piro DOCG is always surprising for the speed with which it becomes ready to drink. And from the moment it makes its debut on the table, it is always on the spot: ready to drink, but also perfect for ageing with the reserves in the cellar.

Vineyard with grass – South Exposure – Altitude 350/500 m
Harvest: October 13th – Yield 45 hl / ha
Maceration: 110 days in wooden vats 50 hl
Ageing: 18 months in big barrels 50 HL, concrete, bottle
Released from February 2018
Alcohol: 13% vol
Serve at 15°C in a Nebbiolo glass

Complex

On the 2015: Tasted mid-2018
Of the three Superiores this looks the darkest, the tannins sit more aggressively, yet, not overly so. With a plate of food you'd not notice. A little shorter than the other Superiores. The acid appears higher. Another complex offering from Ar.Pe.Pe. A little disjointed at the moment. It is the wine I am least certain of in term of it's evolution as it ages.

Drink your Sassella Stella Retica first, then the Inferno Fiamme Antiche, and, follow up with this.

Paul Kaan - Chief Wine Hacker, Wine Decoded

Ar.Pe.Pe Valtellina Superiore Sassella Stella Retica

As children, we always hoped to find edelweiss when walking in the mountains, but the excursion would always be longer than our legs were strong, and we were generally exhausted before we found one. The wonderful thing was that we never lost the desire to go back and look for one, even at the cost of walking all the way to the glacier. Just like the mountaineer who dedicated a climbing route to our wine: you’ll find it on a map, on the Rhaetian side, for it’s the one with the name Sassella carved into it.

Valtellina Superiore Sassella Stella Retica 

Ar.Pe.Pe Valtellina Superiore Inferno Fiamme Antiche DOCG

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.

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…

Exposure – Altitude 450 m
Harvest: October 18th – Yield 45 hl / ha
Maceration: 115 days in wooden vats 50 hl
Ageing: 18 months in big barrels 50 HL, stainless steel, bottle
Released from February 2018
Alcohol: 13% vol
Serve at 15°C in a Nebbiolo glass

Special

On the 2015:

Finally got my gob on this & Yes it is Very Good!

Fascinating comparing the 3 Superiores from the Sassella, Inferno, and, Grumello sub-regions of Valtellina.

The Sassella Stella Retica is the soft supple one, the Inferno Fiamme Antiche has a sense of minerality, line and length about it, with excellent, bolder tannins. Those tannins subside as mid-palate fruit builds, almost like it was an afterthought. More tightly wound than the Sassella Stella Retica at the moment. Herbal, fennel, aniseed notes, are layered in with earthy, brooding fruit. This wine will surely be something special in the years to come.

Drink your Sassella Stella Retica first, then this, and, follow up with the Grumello Rocca de Piro.

Paul Kaan - Chief Wine Hacker, Wine Decoded

Riserva's

Ar.Pe.Pe Valtellina Superiore Riserva Grumello Buon Consiglio

In the Via del Buon Consiglio 4, where Sondrio meets Montagna in Valtellina, at the foot of the Grumello, the vines seem to swallow up the underground cellar. Here the Nebbiolo from the Alps goes back into the womb of the mountain that generated it. At 370 metres above sea level, the vineyard extends towards the city, over the Ca’ Bianca district, where the terraces have 

Ar.Pe.Pe Valtellina Superiore Riserva Sassella Rocce Rosse

When, in spite of yourself, you are forced to step aside in order not to cause any harm, try at least to take with you the hope that one day you’ll see your dreams come true. When you find the strength to get back on your feet, you’ll see those distant targets approaching: the the right waiting time is what separates you from the goals you set yourself.

This is how we remember Arturo, when he stubbornly decided to create his Riserva right in the heart of Sassella. He completely renewed the vineyard at 400 metres above sea level, which he had inherited from his father, and decided to produce a wine that could be make only with Nebbiolo from the Alps grapes, which they simply called Chiavennasca in those days. The year was 1984.

Six years later, he decided the time had come to find a name for it and he and his wife Giovanna opted for Rocce Rosse. The colour of these “red rocks” was that of the passion that fired him to search for the bloody, iron-like flavour of the land of his ancestors, so indelibly impressed on his memory that no flash of modernity could ever have changed.

And indeed, in a glass of Valtellina Superiore Sassella Riserva Rocce Rosse 

Ar.Pe.Pe Valtellina Superiore Riserva Sassella Vigna Regina

Ar.Pe.Pe Valtellina Superiore Riserva Inferno Sesto Canto


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