AR.PE.PE Grumello Buon Consiglio 2018

An extraordinary, long-aged Alpine Nebbiolo (Chiavennasca) from the steep, granite-terraced slopes of the Grumello sub-zone in Valtellina. Sourced from the historic, high-altitude Buon Consiglio vineyard, this Riserva is produced only in outstanding vintages and undergoes an exceptionally patient, traditional maturation process—spending around 50 days on the skins, years in large neutral chestnut and oak casks, and further refined in bottle prior to release. Translucent garnet in the glass, it reveals a profound, ethereal aromatic profile of dried cherries, orange peel, leather, crushed dried roses, and subtle Alpine pine needles. Weightless yet intensely complex, it glides across the palate with laser-like acidity, seamless, fine-grained tannins, and a deep, slate-like minerality that epitomizes the pinnacle of high-altitude Italian Nebbiolo.

POINTS WORTH NOTING:

• Riserva status at Ar.Pe.Pe. isn't automatic or annual — the Pelizzatti-Perego siblings only declare it in years where the fruit genuinely earns it, typically three or four vintages a decade.

• Buon Consiglio consistently shows the gentlest, most immediately expressive character of all the estate's riservas — a deliberate contrast to the more powerful, structured Sassella riserva in the same course.

• Soil: identical franco sabbioso sandy-loam site to the Rocca de Piro — same soil, same vines, same exposure. Any difference in the glass tonight comes purely from vintage quality and cellar treatment, not terroir.

• Vinification: a dramatically longer regime than the base-tier Rocca de Piro — maceration extending up to 100 days in 50hl wooden vats, followed by around 39 months (over three years) aging across large barrels, concrete and bottle before release.