Torraccia del Piantavigna is a beautiful story spanning nearly four decades in Alto Piemonte. 38 hectares at the foot of Monte Rosa planted with Nebbiolo, Vespolina and Erbaluce, producing the greatest wines of the Sesia river valley.
Nebbiolo is without a doubt the prince grape variety of Piedmont. It buds early (first half of April) and ripens late (October). Its long vegetative cycle, while on one hand favoring the development of an olfactory profile of extraordinary finesse and complexity, on the other makes Nebbiolo a difficult variety to manage and naturally subject to numerous weather-related risks. We are accustomed to thinking of its natural home as the Langhe and Roero, yet in Alto Piemonte it has found an absolutely favorable habitat – a fact attested to by the quality of certain wines from the area, such as Gattinara and Ghemme.
And it is the Ghemme 2005 from Torraccia del Piantavigna that we explore today – a wine that surprised us, yes, but only up to a point. A wine born from the historic blend of the area: Nebbiolo (90%) and Vespolina, a local grape that contributes sugars, aromas and a certain chromatic intensity.
The vineyards from which the grapes come have morainic-alluvial origins, with acidic, medium-textured soils with a good clay content. Located on hillsides, they benefit from good drainage and excellent sun exposure – thanks to Guyot training – as well as ventilation that prevents moisture from stagnating. Vine thinning is particularly strict, with only a single bunch kept per cane. The yield is just 45 q/ha, truly very low and below what is prescribed by the production regulations.
The vinification process begins in the vineyard itself with manual selection of the best grapes. Once in the cellar, the bunches undergo a further selection before a gentle destemming and crushing in order to preserve the integrity of the skins. This allows for selective extraction of polyphenols and anthocyanins during the subsequent maceration phase. Alcoholic fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks at controlled temperature. This phase lasts up to 30 days with automatic pump-overs, through which all sugars are converted into alcohol.
At the end of alcoholic fermentation, malolactic fermentation follows. The wine is then kept in barrels to age for a period of at least 20 months. This is followed by bottling under a protective atmosphere and final bottle aging for no less than 6 months. Minimum aging lasts a total of at least 36 months.
Let us move on to the tasting of Ghemme 2005.
The 2005 vintage had a slightly early spring, followed by a warm summer balanced in rainfall – factors that contributed to an exceptionally high-quality harvest. The excellent ripeness and perfect health of the grapes positively influenced the wine and its decade-long evolution. The wine presents a deep garnet color with an orange rim. Swirling the glass reveals a thick rim along the side, a sign of good structure. The nose is broad and intense, with ethereal, balsamic notes of rhubarb, then caramel. This is followed by earthy notes of mushroom, undergrowth, tobacco, and a spice of black pepper, closing with hints of liquorice on the finish. On the palate, the soft glyceric-alcoholic components are perfectly balanced by a fresh, savory backbone and an extremely silky tannin. Intense and very persistent on the palate as well, this is a wine that has certainly reached its maturity and perfect harmony – and one we are confident will remain so for a long time to come.
We enjoyed it at dinner, paired with a dish of farfallette con salsiccia e carciofi. An excellent vino piemontese, an excellent food and wine experience – a pity the wine eventually runs out. Though I do still have a twin bottle in the cellar…
What do you think?
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