I have reviewed nine wines from Ar.Pe.Pe, from the 2013 to 2022 vintages, across Valtellina Superiore and Rosso di Valtellina. All are Nebbiolo. Scores range from 90 to 96, averaging 93; the highest is the 2016 ArPePe Buon Consiglio Grumello Valtellina Superiore Riserva (96 points). Ar.Pe.Pe also features in one journal article on this site.
Ar.Pe.Pe. (Arturo Pelizzatti Perego) is the standard-bearer for traditional Nebbiolo — known locally as Chiavennasca — in the alpine valley of Valtellina. Arturo founded the estate in 1984, and his children Isabella, Emanuele and Guido now run it with the same refusal to modernize for the sake of trends. They harvest by hand on terraced cliffs, ferment naturally, and age the wines for years in large neutral wood and glass-lined cement before release.
Valtellina itself is a courageous gesture: vines have been grown on these steep slopes for more than two thousand years, on narrow terraces held up by some 2,500 kilometres of dry-stone walls. Ar.Pe.Pe.’s wines read the valley’s subzones. From Sassella come Rocce Rosse, the flagship, powerful yet agile with crushed roses and blood orange; Nuova Regina, transparent and vertical; and Stella Retica, delicate and refined. From Grumello come Sant’Antonio, floral and mineral, Buon Consiglio from one of the oldest parcels, and Rocca de Piro. Fiamme Antiche, from the granite of Inferno, is smoky and elemental.
The Rosso di Valtellina and Pettirosso are Nebbiolo at its freshest, while the Riservas are pale, ethereal and firmly tannic in youth, evolving into tar, dried rose and alpine herbs. Valtellina produces a fraction of Barolo’s volume, and producers like this are the reason it deserves far more attention.
Dried flowers alongside red fruit and graphite create a graceful and elegant taste profile in this wine. This wine presents
2017 Ar.Pe.Pe “Rocca de Piro” Grumello Valtellina Superiore Read Post »
The Sassella ridge delivers a wine that presents itself as delicate and refined with its subtle flavors and complex profile.
2017 Ar.Pe.Pe “Stella Retica” Sassella Valtellina Superiore Read Post »
The winemakers have named their wine after the robin due to its light and agile character and expressive nature. The
The wine presents itself as bright and alpine and drinking it provides an effortless experience. This is Nebbiolo in its
A sacred vineyard produces this rare wine. The wine presents floral scents alongside ethereal qualities and it develops a long-lasting
2013 Ar.Pe.Pe “Sant’Antonio” Grumello Valtellina Superiore Riserva Read Post »
The Nebbiolo produced from Inferno’s granite soil emits smoky notes alongside wild berries and iron and spice elements. The wine
2017 Ar.Pe.Pe “Fiamme Antiche” Inferno Valtellina Superiore Riserva Read Post »
From the core of Valtellina’s cliff-like landscape in the Italian Alps emerges the echo of Ar.Pe.Pe. Each bottle carries the
Sassella’s red rocks produce this wine which many consider the flagship among all their offerings. This powerful yet agile wine
2013 ArPePe Rocce Rosse Sassella Valtellina Superiore Riserva Read Post »
The wine possesses royal elegance through its regal title of “The New Queen.” This Sassella offers a transparent profile alongside
2013 ArPePe Nuova Regina Sassella Valtellina Superiore Riserva Read Post »
Sourced from one of the oldest parcels in Grumello, Buon Consiglio channels the vineyard’s upper-altitude minerality and the patience of
2016 ArPePe Buon Consiglio Grumello Valtellina Superiore Riserva Read Post »
