Region: Lessona, Piedmont, Italy Varietal: 100% Nebbiolo Tasting Notes: Lifted and precise, the 2015 Lessona Riserva opens with aromas of dried rose petals, blood orange peel, and crushed herbs layered over a core of red cherry and wild strawberry. On the palate, the wine is taut and mineral, with fine, silty tannins and a cool-toned elegance that belies its structure. Notes of iron, anise, and forest floor emerge with air, hinting at the complexity to come. Though already nuanced and expressive, this wine is built to evolve beautifully over the next 10–15 years. Producer: The Lessona appellation in northern Piedmont may be lesser known than Barolo or Barbaresco, but it carries a deeply historical winemaking legacy, especially for Nebbiolo. Massimo Clerico represents the third generation of a family that has championed Lessona’s distinctive, mineral-rich expression of the grape. His father, and especially his grandfather, helped preserve the estate’s old vines through periods when the region nearly faded from the wine world’s radar. Today, Massimo is one of a handful of producers bringing Lessona back to prominence, crafting wines of elegance, age-worthiness, and unmistakable terroir. Vineyard & Winemaking: Clerico farms just over 2 hectares of vines on the unique yellow marine sands that define Lessona's soils—famous for imparting lift and minerality to Nebbiolo. The Riserva is only produced in exceptional years and comes from older vines, with extremely low yields. Vinification is traditional: fermentation in concrete, followed by extended aging in large, neutral oak botti and significant bottle maturation before release. The wine is unfiltered and made with minimal intervention, allowing the site’s rare combination of finesse, structure, and aromatic precision to shine through.
