Tenuta il Nespolo "Vino da Sete" Vino Bianco, Piedmont, Italy 2023

FROM THE PIEDMONT GUY:

THE WINE: The grapes are harvested in early September and immediately delivered to the winery to be pressed separately. The Cortese and Favorita are vinified “in white,” meaning only the pure must is fermented at low temperatures in stainless-steel tanks. The Moscato, meanwhile, is drawn from stainless-steel tanks destined for the estate’s dry Moscato bottling, where the grapes are left in contact with the skins for five days as primary fermentation commences. The three varieties are blended following primary fermentation and subsequently aged for 4-5 months in stainless steel on the fine lees before being bottled in a one-liter with a crown cap.

THE PRODUCER: Luca Amerio is a youthful man whose quiet demeanor belies his inventive winemaking style. His family’s ancestral lands are situated in Moasca, a tiny village resting on the southern flank of the province of Asti. Moasca is that rare spot where Asti’s two iconic DOCG zones, Moscato d’Asti and Nizza Barbera, overlap. Now at the helm of his family’s estate, Luca draws from his family’s old-vine plantings in the heralded limestone-clay soils of Asti to produce both classic, appellation-based wines and fresh, appellation-defying bottlings. Chief among the latter is “Vino da Sete,” the estate’s edgy riff on vin de soif composed of Barbera, Freisa, and Sangiovese. Today, Luca’s professional training and his ingenuity are on thrilling display as Tenuta il Nespolo marches into a bright new era.