The Rise of Alto Piemonte: Two Stunning, Very Different Gattinaras from a Top Young Producer - 2011 and 2012 Vintages

Two Very Different Expressions of Nebbiolo from the Same Producer
 - Good Producers Make Good Wine
 - Great Producers Create a Range of Great but Different Wines from Different Vineyards

2011 Il Chiosso Gattinara "Galizja"
 - The Strength and Depth of Nebbiolo
 - Gorgeous, Spicy, Tar, Roses Nose
 - Ripe Fresh Cherries on the Palate, More Spice
 - Great Internal Aromatics, Terrific Balance, So Juicy
 - Massive Structure - Built for Ageing

2012 Ill Chiosso Gattinara "Terre Vulcaniche"
 - The Aromatic Elegance of Nebbiolo
 - Really, Really Gorgeous Aromatics - Spice, Flowers
 - Elegant Cherries, Plum with Spice on the Palate
 - Long, Persistent Finish

So we all know news by now that Roberto Conterno of the legendary Giacomo Conterno estate has

bought the classic estate Nervi in Gattinara. I also have been known to say if I had a billion dollars I'd invest in Alto Piemonte. I said that for many years before this purchase. As usual I'm ahead of the curve. That's why most of you are reading this. Gattinara is on the verge of exploding in popularity and more importantly price!

Fass Selections has found a young, incredibly talented producer, Marco Arlunno at Il Chiosso, who is fanatical about quality and holds back his wines until they are ready to drink. The soils here are mostly volcanic and are from a massive explosion of a volcano over 300 million years ago.  I love, love, love the wines from Alto Piemonte (the region that the Gattinara AOC is located).  What really impresses me about Marco is his ability to make wines that are so different and interesting while keeping a consistent house style (structured, balanced and juicy).  Every wine is distinct yet clearly il Chiosso.

I'm banging the drum hard because the combination of
 1) great terroir
 2) A great producer
 3) a less known and undervalued region
 4) an unknown and undervalued winery
...well it creates the perfect storm of value and wines that stand toe to toe with Baroli at twice (plus) the price. The Il Chiosso Gattinaras are the purest most honest and authentic expressions of Nebbiolo maybe ever. These are old old school. As classic as it gets. I'm not the only one that thinks this. I have a client who is very picky but when he finds a wine he likes he goes OFF about it. Ill Chiosso is by far his favorite Italian we have. His palate is as good as anyone reading today.

Il Chiosso makes some really terrific single vineyard Gattinaras and today I am super exited to offer the 2011 Il Chiosso Gattinara "Galizja" for $37.99 a bottle on a 4-Pack. This wine is sick sick sick. Just the purest most naked expression of Nebbiolo ever. The Michelangelo "David"'of Nebbiolo. The nose has an incredible symphony of Nebbiolo. The heavens opened and sprayed this aroma in the glass it seems like. Huge, urgent spices and minerality, big nuttiness and big ripe sweet and sour cherry fruit like only Nebbiolo can be. Red cherries that are so aromatic it's better than any actual normal cherry in realty. Huge tar, leather, grilled dried nuts, licorice and anise. So complex. The nose truly is a spectrum and has such a huge perfume. You can get lost in the aromas. I did. The palate is so complex, and so refined (some Gattinara can be too rustic) with big juicy red cherries. The tannins are big, ripe and sweet with dazzling complexity on the finish. This is stunning now but has at least 15+ more years of life. The inner mouth aromas are ridiculous as is the purity and freshness. Flowers, spice and cherry fruit are enveloped in the stunningly refined tannins that have a lovely rustic but not too rustic edge to them. The balance is extraordinary and the finish does not quit. It's a big but graceful wine with palate staining fruit and firm but beautiful tannins. Such an intense huge core of mid season cherry fruit and this wine palate is unapologetically old school. So long and strikingly mineral on the finish. Powerful and deep yet light on its feet. Profound. This wine is so so good and pulls of the combo of cerebral and hedonistic at the same time. This is very serious and very compelling Gattinara. I love the appellation as the wines have a happiness and brightness to them that I find so appealing. This is limited and very very stunning.

This is their most important site. I walked it with Marco this last August and it has stunning exposition and the vines are immaculate. The soils are porphyries of ancient volcanic origin. The vines are between 15-60 years old and only the best grapes, carefully sorted go into this very special cuvee. It's a stupid great wine. These wines are as old school as it gets but, for my palate, they are a bit cleaner and have more vibrancy than the stalwarts of the region.


Up next I've got the 2012 Ill Chiosso Gattinara "Terre Vulcaniche" for $34.99 a bottle on a 4-pack. This is a very new wine for Il Chiosso and as the name suggests it comes from dominantly volcanic terroir.  For me, before I take a deep dive into the tasting note, I want to say that this wine has more elegance and finesse and less power and grip than the Galizja. Both wines are insane. If the Galizja is Gevrey Chambertin then the Terre Vulcaniche is Chambolle-Musigny. A really, really pretty, elegant expression of nebbiolo.  It is 50% old big oak barrels and 50% tonneaux and has the most insane nose. Loads and loads of spice, dust and wood shavings.   One of those noses where you can really sniff for a good 15 minutes before even tasting the wine there's so much going on.  Insane depth of fruit and really stains the palate. Perfectly ripe mid early season cherries along with such pretty perfectly ripe plums. Big ripe tannins and old school and authentic as they come. Elegant, complex and so saturating and long. Insanely long with lovely spice and floral notes on the finish. This seems more high toned than Galizja.  The grapes are a special selection picked for this bottling.  Another epic and brilliant Gattinara from a rising star in the appellation.

2011 Il Chiosso Gattinara "Galijza" - $39.99 ($151.96 4-pack) (LIMITED)

2012 Il Chiosso Gattinara "Terre Vulcaniche" $36.99 ($139.96) (LIMITED)