Vanessa

9.5

Melt my heart. This wine is stunning.

ARPEPE Sassella “Rocce Rosse” Riserva 2013—an outstanding expression of Nebbiolo from the Valtellina Superiore DOCG.

🏔️ Valtellina is a northerly district in Lombardy, Italy, bordering Switzerland. It boasts a majestic alpine mountain-scape w/ terraced vineyards perched on the steep slopes of the Alps, surrounding an oasis of sunshine on the valley floor.

Valtellina is famous for its perfumed & elegant wines made mostly from Nebbiolo (locally ‘Chiavennasca’).

🍷 This 2013 is 100% Chiavennasca from a site at 400-500 meters elevation in the Sassella subzone.

🍒It offers pronounced aromas & flavors of dark cherry, bright raspberry, mulberry, pomegranate, fig, strawberry rhubarb, potpourri, black tea, star anise, fennel, peat, olive tapenade, vanilla, cardamom, nutmeg & forest floor.

😍 On the palate, it is lifted & ethereal w/ mouth-watering acidity & velveteen tannins that support a lingering finish. A BEAUTIFUL wine. — 22 days ago

with Deked1

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.4

Such a killer Pettirosso. Nose is ethereal. Just stunning. Roses, tar, deep mid season cherry. Gorgeous minerality. Earth, mint and so much more. Palate is so elegant, really no one does elegant with nebbiolo like Arpepe. Sour and sweet mid season cherries, lovely bracing and framing acidity and such purity and length. Man this is a cherry bomb. Awesome wine but it screams for food. Someone send me an ossobucco. Stat! More with air as this wine need air. With air it gets more harmonious in the mouth but the tannins pick up. — 3 years ago

Phil Kessling

9.1

Mountain Nebbiolo from ArPePe. What more needs to be said. Delicious. — 5 years ago

Young Bock Lee

9.0

Dense, rich, ripe than other arpepe range. — 6 years ago

Daragh Hoey

9.0

Valtellina tasting run by Seattle treasure, Noah Oldham. This wine suffered for its context (4 ArPePe greats), but on its own, it's delicious. A little hot compared to other Valtellina Nebbiolo. But soured and mossy. — 10 years ago

Eli Barton

9.2

Great wine. I don't normally say powerhouse but next to the ArPePe that's how it seemed. Seemed a bit off at opening, possibly slightly corked, but after wearing off tasted much better. Still not what I remember, and I think it should have been better, but it was perfect with dry-aged steaks. — 11 years ago

with Kenneth

Terry Kaney

9.8

Love Arpepe — 13 years ago

Matthew Cohen

9.6

Needs an hour decant.

Then a wine of perfection.

Think arpepe Riserva.

Think Burlotto Monvigliero.

One of the great wines of Italy. No one knows about it.

If you know. You know. Nuff said.

Fass selections — 3 months ago

Phil Kessling

9.2

These are some of my favorite Mountain Nebbiolo. ArPePe actually ages the Riserva before releasing. — 10 months ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.3

Another fine vintage here. Arpepe really leaned into the 2017 style and made really pretty wines that could not be more different than the dense. powerful and structured 16’s. I can’t think of 2 more contrasting back to back vintages right now. Maybe 02/03 German Riesling.

Anyway nose is mysterious smokey spices and some faint mid asian cherry but dominated now by spice and florals that are picking up by the second. Palate is generous, forward and has a sense of restrained richness. Tannins are ripe but mineral driven and the fruit stain on the backend is wonderful and the backend is so long. Really compelling stuff in a notorious vintage for Langhe Nebbiolo and not the best in Valtellina. Arpepe is truly a great winery more for wines like this than wines in obviously great vintages like 16/13 and 2010. — 4 years ago

Andrew Schirmer

9.3

Rustic elegance, great purity. Structured, lovely finish. Iron, graphite, cherry liqueur, welcoming bitterness, light tannic undergirding. This is their entry-level—LOL #arpepe — 6 years ago

with Alsu

Ian Hamel

9.0

Spring 2020. This was the most straightforward of the three Fay wines that we drank in succession, with a plump, chunky character. Overall, compared to ArPepe the Fay wines were closer aromatically to Piemonte Nebbiolo, but with less tannic structure. — 6 years ago

Vijay Parikh

9.1

An attempt to make an Arpepe style wine, it paired well with a wide range of courses at ARMANI in the Ginza — 10 years ago

Chris MacLean

9.2

Compared to the the previous Valtellina wine, Marsetti Grumello, this is brighter, earthier, wilder, and more acidic. Both are great, for a similar price. The Arpepe is more versatile with food but the Marsetti is more structured for longevity. — 12 years ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.6

Insane wine. Dried cherry, spice, road tar, dried roses and that haunting alpine Nebbiolo perfume that only Arpepe seems able to deliver. The palate is nimble, precise and unbelievably balanced. Yes, there is tannin, but Arpepe processes tannin through its own lens. Everything feels refined, transparent and perfectly proportioned. The architecture is stunning. There is a slight stretch on the back end right now, but the underlying balance and purity are undeniable. Already 9.6 and just getting started. — 5 months ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.6

This is a super star wine. I am blown away. Nose is super pure strawberry like young Giacosa. Insane and vivid spices. Unreal earthiness and minerality. Like a loamy character. Wow. So many roses. Just insane. So so stunning. Tree bark but sweet? 9.7 nose? I think so. It’s so deep, layered and just ethereal. The strawberry is just so insane and detailed. Palate is gorgeous and loaded with sweet fruit and so much sap. Fierce tannins and an incredible finish that doesn’t quit. So balanced and super pure. Killer inner mouth aromas. Unreal fruit, energy and structure but also lithe and elegant. This is also unapologetically old school. This is like is Burlotto made Carema. Really spectacular creaminess as well with just incredible energy and length. This is a baby but will age 30+ years and needs maybe 10. The length is just insane. Let’s see what air does. 9.5 for now but with room for improvement. This has crazy crazy acidity and freshness but is buffered by amazing fruit.

This improved for 3 days. Fruit got more concentrated and ethereal. So juicy and complex and amazing saturation and length. If Arpepe and Rocche de Bar ari collaborated in Carema is what this wine is like. 9.5 to 9.6 over 3 days. — 3 years ago

Pablo

9.5

Arpepe strikes again — 6 years ago

Adam Nesto

9.2

Very smooth. Northern Nebbiolo like the Arpepe last Sunday. — 8 years ago

with Douglas

Michele Ouellet

Vintner Lorenza Rosé

9.7

Arpepe baby!!!! This was so bomb and Perf tannins. Love! — 11 years ago

Travis Morningstar

9.0

Makes me long for Arpepe! — 12 years ago