Alpine Wines

The first, and the most important wine of the estate, is the Sassella Valtellina Superiore ‘Grisone’. In 2017, it was the only wine they made, and therefore includes fruit from all three of the estate’s vineyards, with schist terraces between 350m and 550m above sea level, including the old Mossino vineyard, with vines of over 100 years old. Delicate in colour, but with incredibly vibrant fruit, notes of wild berries, freshly cut herbs, and lots of floral notes, this is a brilliant Nebbiolo.

Alfio makes a tiny quantity - just 2,000 bottles - of Sforzato di Valtellina: an Amarone-like dry wine, made from dried Nebbiolo grapes. Still delicate in colour, the nose is beautifully perfumed: this is recognisably Nebbiolo. The palate has a weight and power to it, and notes of dried fruit and dried herbs, but it doesn’t have the overripeness of Amarone. Brilliantly balanced, and very long and finely judged.

In the finest vintages, such as 2016, Alfio makes a tiny quantity of Riserva, with just 2,500 bottles produced in 2016. This all comes from the Mossino vineyard, their highest plot, planted in an amphitheatre that points due south. A blend of old and young vines, and a little of the high-acid Rossola, creates a wine of incredible focus, purity, and intensity. The nose here is so mineral, with a slight iodine note and blood orange, and a very long finish.