The Story
Tettimorra comes from a 1.0 hectare vineyard near the village of La Morra, between the crus of Bricco San Biagio and Roggeri (i.e., near Arborina). The elevation is about 300 meters. The name means “the roofs of La Morra” and follows the name of Scarpa’s Barbaresco vineyard, Tettineive.
Traditional fermentation in large, old truncated conical wooden vats for about 28 days. Aging for over four years in large casks (2,000-10,000 liters) and then at least several more years in bottle before release. (Because Scarpa is a founding member of the Barolo and Barbaresco Consortium and has been bottling these wines since the 1940s, they have special permission to transport grapes from Barolo and Barbaresco and vinify and age the wines in their cantina in Nizza Monferrato.)
This is Barolo the way it used to be made — where structure, spices, and minerals are at least as important as fruit. The extra aging in cask and in bottle results in a wine that is released when it’s at least beginning to show the qualities that make a Barolo worth drinking: secondary aromas and flavors and the complexity that comes with age. In most vintages, the wine will continue to improve for years, if not decades, but if you drink it upon release, at least you won’t be committing infanticide.
Vuosikerta 2010
Italy Outstanding – A vintage with first-rate wines from seemingly everywhere in the Barolo and Barbaresco zones, both from famous producers and many unheralded ones. Beautiful balance, expressive aromatics, excellent varietal character and outstanding persistence. Power, grace and structure, from moderately priced wines all the way to the most expensive cru offerings. The 2010s will age for 20-30 years without a problem in most cases, and a few wines will age even longer.