Azienda Vitivinicola Pelassa – Romantic Wines of Piedmont
Located in the town of Montà d'Alba near Torino (Piedmont region of Italy), the Pelassa family has always produced wine from the vineyards they owned. The present winery was created in 1960 by Mario, who has been producing and making wine from his vineyards for nearly fifty years, with the help of his wife Maria Teresa Viglione. Today, his sons Davide and Daniele continue the family tradition, expanding the winery into new markets.
The Roero Region
The Roero, situated on the left bank of the Tanaro River, is a land of strong contrasts with a wide range of tourist resources. The landscape of this wine country is particularly fascinating, small vineyards, creating an odd geometrical pattern like the pieces of a mosaic, cover the sunny side of every hill. A characteristic site among these hills are the ciabot, small sheds built on the vineyard where the farmer has a cool and shady place to rest during the workday. A distinctive aspect of the Roero are the gullies that cut through the land like a maze for about 12 km from Bra to Montà. They are the archive of the geological history of this land and offer some spectacular views. At the foot of the gullies and hills is the town of Montà, one of the most densely populated areas of the Roero.
The Winery
Pelassa adheres mainly to traditional methods of vinification, but has integrated modern techniques through the introduction of state-of-the-art equipment. They use stainless steel tanks along with French oak casks to mature the wines. Both the wine cellars and storage buildings are temperature contolled year round.
Pelassa makes wines that are typical to the area, including the award-winning Barolo DOCG and Nebbiolo d'Alba with many of their wines having DOCG status. Only the best grapes get to bear the Pelassa label, which means that roughly 20% of the harvest gets rejected each year guarenteeing you the highest quality wines. From the harvest to the bottling, you can be assured that the wine that reaches you is 100% from the Pelassa Estate.
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The Wines
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Antaniolo Riserva Roero DOCG 2007 $35.50 Private Order
4.5* Vic Harradine Quiet aromas of dark berry fruit, tar and a wisp of lilac provide segue to a tangy, juicy river of flavour with red cherry, pomegranate and black plum compote to the fore. Mid weight with good mouth feel, this Nebbiolo sports a monumental, well-balanced aftertaste–blackberry and strawberry mingling with tar and espresso roast. Surprisingly smooth and friendly at this point, it'll improve with two more years in bottle.
90 points Wine Enthusiast
This beautiful Riserva expression really shows the potential of Roero, a little-known red wine from Piedmont based on the Nebbiolo grape just like its cousins Barbaresco and Barolo. Soft oak layers are set against a solid background of red fruit and the overall balance is impressive.
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San Pancrazio Barbera d'Alba DOCG 2010 $22.95 Available Now!
100% Barbera. Racy, lively and full of nerve and verve, this fronts up well with a mixed deli board, spicy wings or spicy meat-laden pizza. Red cherry, watermelon and mixed field berry fruit bathe the palate infusing the aftertaste along with spice and hi-toned red currant. It's uncomplicated, mid weight and delivers good mouth feel. 4* Vic Harradine -
San Vito Roero Arneis DOCG 2010 $21.35 Available Now!
100% Arneis. High-toned aromas of orchard fruit and minerality meld with wisps of floral in this silky-textured, drop-dead gorgeous, white wine. Mouth-filling white peach, honeydew melon and tangy citrus persist through the lip-smacking aftertaste. It's mid weight and well balanced combining ripe fruit and racy acidity to perfection. 4.5* Vic Harradine -
Bricco Enrichetta Langhe DOC 2009 $16.65 Available Now!
Barbera, Dolcetto and Fresia. Floral notes, sandalwood and dark plum aromas on the nose, this balanced flavourful blend–Barbera, Dolcetto and Freisa–provides a medium-bodied, nicely textured wash of blueberry, red and black currant and red cherry that's lively and tangy on the palate and crisp, dry finish. The aftertaste's adorned with ripe berry fruit and spice. Lovely sipped as an aperitif, it really shines with thin-crust, meat-laden pizza. 4* Vic Harradine -
Sot Nebbiolo d'Alba DOC 2007 $26.10 Available Now!
100% Nebbiolo. Subdued on the nose with cherry/berry and floral aromas, this ramps it up on the palate with endless waves of flavour–tangy bramble berry, racy cranberry and black licorice interwoven with nuances of toast and mixed spice. It's held in check by a firm tannin underpinning for now and full of promise for the future. Everything's in balance and rarin' to go after a three-hour aeration/decant or two more years in bottle. 4.5* Vic Harradine