This year's Decanter World Wine Awards Regional Trophy for Red Regional Italy over £15 went to Rivetti & Lauro, Uì, Valtellina Superiore, Lombardy 2010 (13.5%)
Tasted against:
- Rivetti & Lauro, Dell’orco, Sforzato di Valtellina, Lombardy 2010
Profile:
Alberto Rivetti was formerly a CEO for a coffee business when he began to invest in vineyards with Dino Lauro, who was already working in Valtellina. Meeting the young winemaker Emmanuel Urbani supplied the last piece of the puzzle and, in 2009, Rivetti & Lauro was born.
The winery is ensconced in the cellars of the stunning 16th-century Torelli’s Palace in the town of Tirano. Here the trio makes about 50,000 bottles each year, with this Trophy-winner accounting for one third of that. Made from 100% Nebbiolo, the grapes are grown in mountainous vineyards next to the Swiss border and near Lake Como. About 25% of the grapes are partially dried to ‘increase the body and structure of the wine,’ according to Rivetti, but the ultimate aim is to make Uì with 100% fresh grapes.
Overenthusiastic use of chemicals over the years has damaged the vineyards, but sustainable vineyard practices are beginning to reinvigorate them. ‘Our wines are still developing,’ says Rivetti. ‘But through them we are trying to express the uniqueness of our territory and traditions, and the potential excellence of Nebiolo in Valtellina.’
Written by Decanter
