Tenuta Scerscé

Cristina Scarpellini's remarkable entry-level wine opens compactly with aromas of wild berries, violets, gravel, liquorice and some flint. The palate is bright and straightforward, with alpine strawberry, star anise and a hint of botanical herbs. The lively acidity and its gripping tannin make it a perfect food companion. SUPERIORE.DE

Essenza is a classic Valtellina Superiore that draws its fruit from the terraced high mountain vineyards in one of the northernmost corners of Italy. Ruby red with garnet inclusions. Beautiful aromas of dried strawberries, mushrooms and flowers that open up to pure fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with appealing depth and intensity. The fine and layered tannins are polished and flattering. Essenza magically balances power and elegance, much of its straightness and focus coming from the lingering mineral notes of crushed slate or granite that add salty notes to the finish. SUPERIORE.DE

"A fragrant red with notes of ground anise and white pepper and accents of dried flowers, iron and graphite. Light on its feet and elegant, with fine, crisp tannins and pretty flavours of wild strawberries and glowing cherries." Wine Spectator

"Spicy and intense nose with dried plums, funk, oranges, dark liquorice and black earth. Also some balsamic notes. Fluid, medium-bodied palate, marked by dusty tannins and juicy, earthy and mushroomy flavours on the palate. Firm, structured and chalky. Beautiful Nebbiolo austerity." James Suckling

"The Tenuta Scerscé 2018 Valtellina Superiore Nebbiolo Essenza is packaged with a brown label and shows very clear and intense with varietal notes of wild berries, sour cherries, blue flowers and floral earth. This wine shows a pretty floral side with blue violet and fresh lilac giving the bouquet a pretty vertical lift." Wine Advocate

"Elegance and drinkability in excellent balance. Notes of raspberries open up on the nose, then a hint of thyme, the palate is iodine, zesty and crisp, with returning fruit. It closes with a lovely flavourful persistence." Luca Gardini

This smooth and immensely polished Valtellina Superiore comes from Sassella, one of the most famous villages of the Valtellina appellation on the north bank of the Adda River. Radiant ruby red. Camphor, wild roses, wild berries and hints of graphite and vanilla are the main protagonists of this fragrant red wine. Straightforward and elegantly structured, it shows red cherry, pomegranate and liquorice on the palate, accompanied by present but fine tannins. The lively acidity provides the necessary momentum, including further ageing potential. SUPERIORE.DE

"Savory, earthy wet leaves, cranberries and iron on the nose. A very svelte, nimble nebbiolo with elegant berries and a linear palate. Silky and supple tannins for a nebbiolo." James Suckling

"Packaged with a green label, the Tenuta Scerscé 2019 Valtellina Superiore Sassella Nebbiolo Incanto shows fine–tuned aromas of forest berry, blue flower, wild rose and candied orange peel. This is a pure and elegant wine with a firm and silky texture. It would pair nicely with an oven–roasted chicken and potatoes." Wine Advocate

This wine is literally on fire. Flammante comes from the Inferno (hell), an area where the fruit of this fiery, warm and full-bodied wine comes from the hardness of the Rhaetian rock. With all the verve in every sip, it is a wine of extreme grace and elegance that makes you think and wonder. Ruby red colour with a tendency towards garnet. In the beguiling bouquet Mediterranean spices and herbs, then strawberry, wild rose, dried earth and minerals. Complex and full of character on the palate with a beautiful fruit core and animating freshness that makes you want to drink the next glass. SUPERIORE.DE

"A nebbiolo that shows lots of Mediterranean spices and herbs, together with strawberries, dried earth and minerals. A medium–bodied, textured palate, showing dried–herb savoriness on the transparent but austere center–palate. Firm, savory and dry." James Suckling

"The Tenuta Scerscé 2019 Valtellina Superiore Inferno Nebbiolo Flammante is an elegantly slim and lithe expression, with a very fine filigree of aromas that rise delicately from the bouquet. There is redcurrant and wild plum, but perhaps the aromas that leave the longest impression are the floral tones of rose and lilac. With time, a lactic aroma of spicy Pecorino cheese also comes forward." Wine Advocate

"This is a project with which I still celebrate the beginning of my adventure as a winemaker, which is why this Riserva bears my name. Valgella is the area where my journey, which remains exciting to this day, began, and this wine not only bears my signature, but with its distinguished shyness also pays respect to the steep slopes from which we wrested its fruit."

Bright garnet red. Fine and subtle on the nose, where the initial ferrous mineral notes are replaced by articulate aromas of spices, red rum fruits and coffee. In the mouth it is full-bodied and expansive, ethereal, with a present, sand-blasted tannin structure. Long and juicy as it progresses. It needs at least two more years for the tannins and the oak to integrate perfectly. We are sure: With a little patience, it will reach radiant perfection. It is a wine that rightly bears the name of the winemaker! SUPERIORE.DE

"Some sweet-vanilla notes now to the savory oranges, tar and cranberries. A full-bodied nebbiolo that feels expansive, yet it’s ethereal on the palate with lots of firm, sandblasted tannins. Long and juicy. Needs two years to allow the tannins and the oak to integrate more. Will shine with time." James Suckling

The grapes for the most classic red wine of the Valtellina are air-dried by the alpine winds for about 2 months after the harvest. Infinito shows a fresh, almost mentholated side of the Nebbiolo grape that adds lift and brightness to the bouquet. Immediately after these spicy herbal notes, the wine dives into the darker fruit of blackcurrant, wild plum and pressed rose. This wine offers an exciting and unexpected array of flavours that highlight its unique personality, which can only be achieved in this form with the Nebbiolo grape in the Italian Alps. As the wine settles on the palate, there is even a subtle sweetness that comes from the appassimento process, rounding it out to a distinctive classic. Be sure to aerate before enjoying! SUPERIORE.DE

"Made with air–dried grapes, the Tenuta Scerscé 2018 Sforzato di Valtellina Nebbiolo Infinito opens to a medium–dark color and moderate fruit weight that feels velvety, rich and open–knit. The sforzato, or appassimento, process brings on extra heft and intensity for sure, but the Nebbiolo grape never loses its inner grace and poise. Aromas of dried rose, wild cherry, plum and sweet earth rise from the bouquet. A pretty layer of cured tobacco gives the wine a more fleshed–out feel on the close." Wine Advocate

"Licorice with sweet, candied strawberries, spice box and creme de cassis. A very flavorful nebbiolo with a brighter palate than the nose, rounded by creamy, dusty tannins in a firm, slightly austere setting." James Suckling