Winemaker Notes
The concentrations reached and the aromas that develop with the drying make it a wine of great finesse and personality. Intense ruby ??red color. Complex, spicy bouquet with hints of jam and dried red flowers. Warm, vigorous, with a full, round and harmonious flavor.
Pair with red meats, game and aged cheeses.
Professional Ratings
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Vinous
The 2018 Sfursat di Valtellina is a wild, exotic beauty. Dark cherries in liqueur, cloves, spice, alpine herbs, sweet pipe tobacco and incense lend an exotic flair. Deep, sensual and inviting, the 2018 packs plenty of Sfursat intensity in a classic frame. Even with its notable intensity, the 2018 remains quite elegant and impeccable in its balance. I loved it.
Responsible for some of the most elegant and age-worthy wines in the world, Nebbiolo, named for the ubiquitous autumnal fog (called nebbia in Italian), is the star variety of northern Italy’s Piedmont region. Grown throughout the area, as well as in the neighboring Valle d’Aosta and Valtellina, it reaches its highest potential in the Piedmontese villages of Barolo, Barbaresco and Roero. Outside of Italy, growers are still very much in the experimentation stage but some success has been achieved in parts of California. Somm Secret—If you’re new to Nebbiolo, start with a charming, wallet-friendly, early-drinking Langhe Nebbiolo or Nebbiolo d'Alba.
Containing an exciting mix of wine producing subregions, Lombardy is Italy’s largest in size and population. Good quality Pinot noir, Bonarda and Barbera have elevated the reputation of the plains of Oltrepò Pavese. To its northeast in the Alps, Valtellina is the source of Italy’s best Nebbiolo wines outside of Piedmont. Often missed in the shadow of Prosecco, Franciacorta produces collectively Italy’s best Champagne style wines, and for the fun and less serious bubbly, find Lambrusco Mantovano around the city of Mantua. Lugana, a dry white with a devoted following, is produced to the southwest of Lake Garda.