2009 ARPePe Inferno Sesto Canto

95 Points WA: A pure expression of Nebbiolo (also called Chiavennasca) from 50-year-old vines planted in crushed granite soils, the 2009 Valtellina Superiore Riserva Inferno Sesto Canto is a beautiful, somewhat fragile wine that is, in a word, inspired. This is a wine of utmost grace and elegance that gives you pause for reflection and awe. I found it to be quite moving especially considering the hardships of steep mountain farming required to make it. This is one of those wines in which nature and humans work lock and step together. Delicate tones of cassis and wild rose are followed by faint nuances of ash and stone. The wine is fermented on the skins for 49 days. The long aging process sees five years in chestnut barrel and three years in cement vat. Some 6,000 bottles were produced.