In the 19th century, the center of fine wine in Italy was in Lessona, a small wine-growing region in the foothills of the Alps, just an hour and half from Milan. It was here, not Chianti Classico, where the family of Paolo de Marchi (Isole e Olena) got their start in wine growing. Paolo’s great, great uncle, Felice Sperino was famous for his elegant and long-lived Nebbiolo-based wines. Sadly, in the years following its heyday, Lessona lost its great wine growing tradition. Between two World Wars, the budding industrial economy of Switzerland and northern Italy and the difficulty of farming in its acidic, sandy soils caused nearly 98% of the region’s vineyards to be abandoned. For many growers, it did not make financial sense to grow grapes here when they could earn three times as much working in a factory for Fiat.

So the wine world slowly forgot about Lessona. Yet one man couldn’t forget. Paolo spent his summers in Lessona as a child and young adult. Its rich history and incredibly long-living wines fascinated him and fostered a dream that one day he might revitalize this abandoned piece of history. A dream realized in 1999 when he and his son, Luca, reopened the castle doors and took the reins of their historic family estate, Proprietà Sperino.

It only takes one handful of the yellow, silty sand of Lessona to see that this is a unique growing region. It’s the sandy soil and the minerality beneath it that lends such vitality to its wines. Nebbiolo here is like no other in Piedmont, so aromatic, with layers of fresh fruit reminiscent of only one place…Burgundy! Yet the fine tannins are firm, and the finish screams Nebbiolo.

The Lessona is a classic expression of Alto Piemonte Nebbiolo, a window into the past, a reflection of the previous greatness the area was known for. Aromatically intense, this wine soars on the palate with tightly would mineral flavors, bright red fruits and enough structure to age for another 20 years.