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Sella
The Sella wine estates are one of the oldest active Italian wine producers. The Sella family has produced wine in Lessona from their own vineyards since mid 17th century, and has owned and cultivated vineyards in Bramaterra (at Villa del Bosco) for the same amount of time; the two estates were combined in 1881. The cellar of the estate still holds old vintages of these wines, including Lessona from 1904, and wine labelled as “Vino Lessona” that may be even older. Today the estate still maintains its original artisanal scale, and is still devoted to the limited production of high-quality wine. These wines come from about 20 hectares (fifty acres) of vineyard cultivated by the estate (18 hectares on the property, 2 rented) from which (due to very low yields) we bottle around 80000 bottles of wine a year.
Lessona is today a very rare Italian version of an “AOC monopole”, an appellation entirely owned by one producer, Sella. Historically, the granting of the DOC was an official recognition of the history of the estate, particularly of the passion of the family which has always believed in their land. The Sella family produces eight wines, mainly reds produced of Nebbiolo. The five top wines are made from grapes grown in vineyards that are at least 25/30 years old, with parcels that are more than 80 years old, particularly (but not only) the Lessona vineyard called San The high average age of these vineyards naturally tends to produce very low yields, in the order of 35 quintali of grapes per hectare (1.5 tons per acre). An older vine is more difficult and more expensive to look after than a younger one, but the complexity that an old vine gives to the wine is in our judgement enormously greater than that of a younger vine, even if severely pruned. In the old vineyards in northern Piedmont Nebbiolo is never planted by itself. It is always found with some rows of Vespolina, Croatina, or Uva Rara. For this reason our wines from Lessona and Bramaterra consist of a majority of Nebbiolo with a small percentage of the traditional local varieties. Sella vinifies in a classical style. “Classical” doesen’t mean “old”. The technique of vinification and the technology used in our cellar are continually updated, always being sure to guarantee the best results. At Sella the word “classical” means that we prize the most authentic characteristics of the terroir and the vines, expressed by gentle extraction and aging in neutral wood. THE WINES
Erbaluce is the classic indigenous white grape variety of northern Piedmont. 'Vignaluce' is made entirely of Erbaluce and neatly and elegantly expresses the character of the variety. The perfume ranges from almond to mandarin orange, wild flowers, and a quality of sappiness and minerality. Grown at very low yield in soils known for the production of structured red wines, this Erbaluce expresses a power and richness rare for the variety. “Majoli” Coste della Sesia DOC Rosato “Orbello” Coste della Sesia DOC Bramaterra DOC Lessona DOC
Lessona DOC “San Sebastiano allo Zoppo” Lessona DOC "Omaggio a Quintino Sella” Click on this link to learn more about the appellation of Lessona http://www.italianmade.com/wines/DOC10180.cfm
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These notes are from Luca Furlotti, the thoughtful manager of Sella, and I can't improve on them. I would add only that this is a very exciting discovery for Nebbiolo fans; Lessona and Bramaterra are extraordinary terroirs, and the winemaking here is exactly what it should be.
Lessona and Bramaterra are in northern Piedmont (Alto Piemonte). This area constitutes the western part of a circle of the most noble wine-producing areas, known for porphyric soils, that extends to Gattinara and Boca. With Langa and Valtellina, these constitute the three classic areas for the production of Nebbiolo. Compared to the soils of Barolo and Barbaresco, the vineyards of northern Piedmont offer greater diurnal variation and soils that are richer in minerals. The personality of this area, capable of producing wines of particular freshness and aromatic definition, shows itself differently in each appellation. In the definition of aroma, the key quality of all great wines, the terroirs of Lessona and Bramaterra find their best interaction with the Nebbiolo grape, which gives a typical ferrous minerality here. This quality gives the wines a marked and well-defined mineral savor, rare in Italy and no less striking than that of the great red wines of Burgundy and the Loire. Clear balsamic notes of mint are present, too, and spices like white pepper and ginger. Other distinguishing aromas include floral notes such as geranium, and citrus (citron, bergamot). Structurally these wines are lighter and more elegant than those of Barolo and Barbaresco, with tannins that are perfectly incorporated even when young, particularly in Lessona, while in Bramaterra the wines retain a marked incisiveness.
Sebastiano allo Zoppo. The grapes from young vines of Lessona and Bramaterra are combined to make the estate second wine: L´Orbello.
