Livia Belardelli did a vertical tasting of La Colombera Il Montino’s Timorasso cru. Acidity and warmth, salt and honey, edge and creaminess, weightless complexity.
There is a point where Piedmont bends toward Lombardy and imagines the sea in the distance. It is the area of the Colli Tortonesi, a middle land between Milan, Genoa and Turin: a small agricultural enclave where viticulture has deep roots, but where recent history has rewritten the fate of a forgotten grape variety, the Timorasso.
Telling the story are. Elisa Semino and Davide Ferrarese, La Colombera winery., one of the most interesting realities of the Derthona area.
“In the 1990s, we were only talking about reds, barriques, and important wines. Aiming for a local white seemed crazy.”, Ferrarese recalls. But some winemakers, led by Walter Massa, decided to believe in it. “He was the first to restore dignity to Timorasso. Then others, like us, followed.” In 1997 there were five or six producers, in 2010 there were 15. Today more than 40, and demand is growing worldwide, and important Piedmontese companies outside the area have decided to investing in this grape variety long forgotten.
Timorasso: little aesthetics, lots of substance
Timorasso is not an easy grape; it is a fickle but extraordinary grape. “It demands a lot of attention. If you put it in the sun, it gets sunburned; if you leave it too much in the shade, it rots. It is not pretty to look at: the clusters tend to stain, to darken. But its richness and ability to age are unique.” continues Ferrarese.
Little aesthetics and much substance, dense matter and hydrocarbons developed with aging similar to those of Riesling but with a more “Boterian” body, broad and sunny, well supported by acidity. Nordic rigor and Mediterranean heart together with an exceptional longevity that in the vertical of Il Montino is surprising.
If the Derthona is a snapshot of the winery and the terroir, solid white, savory and fresh, modern but never pandering, Montino is its cru and highlights its depth and evolutionary capacity. From a single vineyard planted in 1997 on limestone-clay soils rich in white stones, Il Montino is the deepest and most complex expression of the Queen of Timorasso, Elisa Semino.
Acidity and warmth, salt and honey, edge and creaminess, weightless complexity, here is the Montino vertical from 2023 to 2010.
Colli Tortonesi Timorasso Il Montino 2023
Score: 95/100
Average price in wine shop: €40
100% Timorasso. Aging in steel. Light golden yellow. Deep and crisp nose, Mediterranean herbs, thyme and spearmint. Savory and dynamic mouthfeel with notes of citrus, lime, cedar and herbs. Intense freshness and darting savoriness. Still very young but promises fascinating evolution.
Colli Tortonesi Timorasso Il Montino 2022
Score: 95/100
Average price in wine shop: € 45
100% Timorasso. Aging in steel. Golden color. Elegant and open nose, yellow peach, Mediterranean herbs and balsamic notes. The palate is fresh and vibrant, vertical and juicy, with great saline momentum and excellent persistence.
Colli Tortonesi Timorasso Il Montino 2021
Score: 92/100
Average price in wine shop: € 50
100% Timorasso. Aging in steel. Bright gold color. Balsamic and floral, with first hydrocarbon notes emerging on the nose. In the mouth it is broad and full, well paced by freshness and a finish of good balance and flavor tension.
Colli Tortonesi Timorasso Il Montino 2020
Score: 90/100
Average price in wine shop: € 50
100% Timorasso. Aging in steel. Deep gold. The nose opens with balsamic sensations, honey and sweet notes of spice. The palate has structure and fatness, supported by freshness and savoriness. It closes with good length and a slightly almondy finish.
Colli Tortonesi Timorasso Il Montino 2019
Score: 93/100
Average price in wine shop: € 50
100% Timorasso. Aging in steel. Deep gold. Hydrocarbon sensations and ethereal tones, bark and notes of underbrush, honey and fine spices appear on the nose. In the mouth reveals fullness and complexity, mouthwatering notes of sweet citrus and spices in a textural body well supported by freshness and savoriness.
Colli Tortonesi Timorasso Il Montino 2018
Score: 95/100
Average price in wine shop: € 50
100% Timorasso. Aging in steel. Bright gold. Varied, elegant and complex nose, spicy nuances, hydrocarbons, grapefruit and anise. Full but sharp sip, snappy and saline on a very long, crisp balsamic finish.
Colli Tortonesi Timorasso Il Montino 2016
Score: 92/100
Out of business
100% Timorasso. Aging in steel. Gold color. Spicy nose with notes of butter, saffron and mentholated hints. Citrusy mouthfeel with notes of tangerine and ripe pink grapefruit, good freshness and savoriness, harmonious finish.
Colli Tortonesi Timorasso Il Montino 2015
Score: 91/100
Out of business
100% Timorasso. Aging in steel. Deep gold color. Rich and intense nose, honey and butter sensations, with more evolving nuances. Mouth balanced and soft, fat with good freshness and flavor tension.
Colli Tortonesi Timorasso Il Montino 2011
Score: 96/100
Out of business
100% Timorasso. Aging in steel. Light gold in color. Surprisingly young nose, fresh and citrusy with notes of lemon cream, fern and flint. In the mouth it is vibrant and very long, rich and powerful, with exceptional progression and tension. Excellent example of longevity and finesse.
Colli Tortonesi Timorasso Il Montino 2010
Score: 95/100
Out of business
100% Timorasso. Aging in steel. Bright gold. Intense and strong-willed nose, smoky nuances, notes of gunpowder, honey and ethereal tones. Mouth more evolved but elegant, fresh and savory, with a very long and captivating finish.
