Terrazzi Alti, the High Terraces, makes its happy debut at Bowler.  Siro Buzzetti is Valtellinese through and through, born and raised in the hamlet of Triasso, near the “big town” of Sondrio.   Not from a winemaking family, he became its first vignaiolo in 2005, as his love for his native land pushed him out of the paper business and into the business of drastic, terraced vineyards in the cru of Sassella, where he started with a mere 0.1 hectares of old vines.  Since then the estate has expanded exponentially, to a whopping 1.5 hectares of vines and one hectare of woods.  Today Siro is joined by his son, Francesco.

We’re far from the Barolo zone here, three and a half hours to the northeast into Lombardia--north of Milan, north of Lake Maggiore, almost to Switzerland.   It’s here that we find Nebbiolo’s most Alpine expression.  Its local name, Chiavennasca, is usually attributed to the nearby town of Chiavenna, but Siro explains that it truly derives from either ciuvinusa (più venosa in Italian, more vein-y, referring to Nebbiolo’s noted vigor) or from ciuvinasca (più vinosa, more vinous, meaning the variety that made the greatest wine).     

Valtellina was carved out by the glaciers, with the valley oriented almost perfectly east/west.  The vineyards are the north side of the valley, facing due south, perched impossibly into the cliffs on dramatic dry stone wall terraces.   Terrazzi Alti’s vines, shooting up from 320m to 600m, are trained in the local archetto valtellinese, with the rows planted north/south on the east/west terraces, negating any attempt at mechanization.  The mother rock here, fairly rare in the world of Nebbiolo, is metamorphic gneiss rich in porphyry, quartz, and feldspar.   The rock is weathered down into poor, acid and shallow topsoils that are around 70% sand, 25-30% silt, and, importantly, almost no clay.  Terrazzi Alti works delicately to encapsulate these distinct conditions.

Watching Siro and Francesco scale these vineyards like mountain goats, the brutal task of creating and maintaining these walls is on full display.   This is what is meant by heroic viticulture.  It cannot be easy, and there’s no illusion of making significant quantities of wine here.  Speaking with Siro, though, one can immediately see the resolved sense of pride and satisfaction he feels from doing this work, from the luxury of being an ambassador for his homeland through the uniqueness of its wine.  

Terrazzi Alti makes two wines:  Valtellina Superiore Sassella and, in select years, a Valtellina Superiore Sassella Riserva, which is released a year later.  

We commend our friend Marko, Nomad Wine Guy, for bringing Terrazzi Alti to our attention.

To learn more:

www.terrazzialti.com
@terrazzi_alti