The Valtellina is part of Lombardy and is a valley north east of Milan, lying close to the Swiss border, and is another outlier for Nebbiolo, here known as Chiavennasca. Vineyards are on south, south west and south east facing slopes above the River Adda.
It’s another area which has seen a great increase in the number of small, quality minded producers in recent years. Typical of these is Mattia Franzina who has a miniscule 0.8 hectares of vines in Buglio-in-Monte, mostly planted with 100 year old Chiavennasca but also including some other local varieties. Mattia is also a talented agronomist and advises many of the other growers in the Valtellina. The family has been there for over 50 years but only started concentrating on vines and building a new cantina in 2014. Winemaking is straightforward with fermentation in stainless steel and 20% aged in oak for the Valtellina and a year in large oak for the Superiore. These are real handcrafted wines.
Italy
