2013 Proprietà Sperino Lessona
A benchmark of structure and longevity. The 2013 is a coiled spring, a classic, high-acid vintage with a firm tannic
Producer
Proprietà Sperino
I have reviewed eight wines from Proprietà Sperino, from the 2008 to 2024 vintages, across Lessona and Piemonte. All are Nebbiolo. Scores range from 94 to 97, averaging 96; the highest is the 2010 Proprietà Sperino Lessona (97 points). Proprietà Sperino also features in one journal article on this site.
Proprietà Sperino is the project that put Lessona back on the map. The Sperino family, relatives of the De Marchis, were a dynasty of Turin doctors with a passion for wine: in the 19th century the surgeon Casimiro Sperino left city life for the vineyards of Lessona, and his son Felice, also a doctor, was a serious ampelographer and an early researcher into grafting against phylloxera. After the estate passed to the De Marchi family, winemaking became an amateur affair — until 1999, when Paolo De Marchi, the maestro of Isole e Olena in Chianti Classico, returned with his son Luca to revive his family’s origins.
The terroir, in the shadow of the Alps, is unlike anywhere else in Piedmont: Pliocene marine sands mixed with glacial sediment over igneous rock, extremely acidic, almost without calcium and rich in iron, manganese and zinc. It does not make heavy wines, but Nebbiolo (locally Spanna) of profound perfume, finesse and razor-sharp mineral elegance, lighter in colour than Barolo but just as complex and age-worthy. The Lessona comes from the estate’s finest vineyards, including Ormeggio, Castagnola and Covà, fermented spontaneously in open-top wooden vats and aged for 33 months in barrel, then years in bottle.
Tasted across vintages, the wines show how faithfully they record the year: 2008 haunting and fully mature, 2010 the legend, 2014 lean and savory, 2015 plush and generous, 2018 fresh and floral. The Rosa del Rosa, a Nebbiolo and Vespolina rosato, is as serious as rosé gets.
Wine Reviews for Proprietà Sperino
2018 Proprietà Sperino Lessona
After the dry 2017, the long, wet winter of 2018 replenished water reserves. A rainy spring was followed by a
Proprietà Sperino: A Maestro’s Homecoming
Proprietà Sperino: A Maestro’s Homecoming In the world of Italian wine, Paolo De Marchi is royalty. He is the maestro
2024 Proprietà Sperino “Rosa del Rosa” Piemonte Rosato
he 2024 “Rosa del Rosa” from Proprietà Sperino represents a refined alpine-born rosato that originates from one of Piedmont’s most
2024 Proprietà Sperino “Rosa del Rosa” Piemonte Rosato Read Post »
2010 Proprietà Sperino Lessona
The legend. A vintage of perfect balance, power, and acidity. The 2010 has everything: dense fruit, soaring aromatics, and a
2008 Proprietà Sperino Lessona
The mature beauty. Now fully in its tertiary phase, the 2008 is a haunting wine. The fruit has softened into
2012 Proprietà Sperino Lessona
A balanced, harmonious vintage that is just hitting its stride. The 2012 shows a beautiful integration of savory, secondary notes
2015 Proprietà Sperino Lessona
From a ripe and generous year, the 2015 is a plusher, more expansive wine. The fruit leans toward darker cherry
2014 Proprietà Sperino Lessona
A “classic” vintage in the truest sense. 2014 was cool, wet, and challenging, but in Alto Piemonte, this is what