Barolo meets Burgundy in the Italian Alps
Nestled in a long, narrow valley flush against the Swiss border, you will find an extraordinary wine making region that, despite incredible quality, remains one of Italy's most overlooked. Valtellina, with its terraced vineyards evoking the crazy steep, craggy slopes of France's Côte-Rôtie, is located high in the Italian Alps to the north of Milan. For over 150 years, the noble Perego family has been widely recognized as the region's leaders in quality and innovation, not only setting the standard for wines in their small area of Lombardia but serving as a benchmark for ethereally styled Nebbiolo for Italy as a whole. Ar.Pe.Pe. is undeniably one of the last bastions of perfumed, elegant, & cellar worthy Nebbiolo that remains reasonably priced.
Like all Ar.Pe.Pe. single vineyard bottlings, Sant'Antonio is made only is exceptional vintages and has, so far, only been released twice. The 2009 vintage was the first, made to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the marriage of Giovanna and Arturo, the event which marked the beginning of the modern era for the winery. The Sant'Antonio vineyard is Isabella's most cared-for child. The wine receives the longest maceration time of any single vineyard bottling and is aged for 5 full years in 50HL chestnut barrels.