Massa Timorasso - from da Vinci to Blockchain
Timorasso might be the highest quality white grape you've never encountered. It is from south-east Piedmont and Liguria and many years ago was the main grape in Gavi. Even further in the past, Leonardo da Vinci enjoyed the wine so much he used it for a wedding feast and gave it as a gift. But it gives low yields and is challenging to grow, so it is unsurprising that after the privations of the early 20th century many growers in the area planted varieties like Cortese: more profitable but less interesting. On the endangered list for a while, the rescue of Timorasso is one of the results of Walter Massa's decision to grow only local varieties. Walter has also ensured the grape is included in the Colli Tortonesi DOC regs - and in case you were wondering, Derthona is what the Romans called Tortona.
Fortunately he's a fabulous winegrower as well as an evangelist for the variety; his Derthonas have always been excellent but this is the best vintage I've tasted. It has a pale lemon yellow colour. On the nose there's lime zest and peach nectar. It has a fine texture, with a touch of grip but not tannic. More creamy citrus zest on the palate with a bit of mandarine and the stonefruit. There is complexity, energy and drive. Minerality on the finish. In fact it's really the energy and the length that are the most striking elements here. Very impressive, vivid wine indeed. The extended skin contact gives a feeling of oak ageing, but there hasn't been any. It is a very complete wine.
You might expect the current vintage of an Italian white to be 2019, but Timorasso needs time, so Walter waits an extra year before releasing his wines. He has changed the closure from DIAM to screwcap, which for the cru wines initially will contain a blockchain-powered NFC chip. Even that used for the Derthona has a liner that enables ageing. More importantly Timorasso is firmly re-established in the list of Italy's best white varieties and your cellar needs this to be complete. /CW
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