Small stains on the front label and on the DOCG label Size:3 l Type:Red Country:Italy Region:Lombardia Denomination:Valtellina Superiore DOCG Grapes:Chiavennasca Aging:39 months in 50h barrels, then 30 months in bottle Alcohol content:13.5% Service temperature:16/18°C Arpepe’s historic label and a symbol of its parcel production, Grumello Riserva Buon Consiglio best reflects the typical terroir of the specific Valtellina territory, giving us an experience whose name is tied with a double knot, also affective, to the hypogeal cellar now the headquarters of Arpepe in Via del Buon Consiglio, between the municipalities of Sondrio and Montagna, Grumello locality. Cultivated at 370 meters above sea level, the Nebbiolo vineyards, with southern exposure, require a very high level of care, well above national averages insisting on very steep slopes that oblige manpower in all major operations, where there are terraces reaching 7 meters in height. Unlike Arpepe’s other extraordinary wines, Grumello Riserva Buon Consiglio is harvested at perfect phenolic ripeness towards the end of October: the grapes are harvested and transferred to the winery for crushing followed by a long 83-day maceration on the skins in 50-hectoliter wooden vats before racking and long aging of 39 months in wood plus an additional 30 months in bottle. The 2013 vintage was of great quality, although delayed about the timing of grape harvest. Qualitatively superior to the previous vintage, which was flogged by extreme weather events, the grapes of the 2013 vintage presented themselves for harvest on Oct. 26 in a perfect phytosanitary state although the still mild temperatures of the period between late October and early November did not guarantee the desired temperature ranges between day and night such as to further enrich the aromatic content of the berries. On tasting, Grumello Riserva Buon Consiglio shows a transparent ruby color with clear garnet hues and an olfactory bouquet that ranges from overripe red fruit such as plum and morello cherry to citrus notes of chinotto and tamarind, then hints of mountain herbs and menthol. A great harmony emerges in the mouth thanks to a winning balance of acidity and tannin with the alcoholic and glyceric structure, a well-present body and a very long finish that anticipates a pleasant iodine finish. Elegant, structured and complex, Grumello Riserva Buon Consiglio is an experiential wine that best represents the true soul of Valtellina.The rare Jeroboam format, produced in only 40 examples for the 2013 vintage.