Wines

This wine is produced from the “Vigna Leria”, a vineyard site that sits immediately adjacent to the family home.  It is a blend of Nebbiolo (50%), Croatina (30%) and Vespolina (20%).  Sitting on an ancient seabed, the soils are very poor and porous which permit the vines to extend deeply into the soil.  The result is a wine of intense minerality with a fresh, lively presence on the palate.  The color is vivid but not dense, having a grey-garnet hue.  Aged for one year in oak barrels (not new), annual production is approximately 1,500 bottles.

The appellation takes its name from the river Sesia which courses its way past Lessona carrying the cooling waters of the mountains and great lakes to the north.  Here, the Nebbiolo, known by its local name “Spanna”, finds its home on the hillsides in the poor soils of this region where it benefits from a long growing season that permits the grape to achieve maximum maturity while retaining its formidable acidity.  The grapes for this cuvée (100% Nebbiolo) come primarily from the “Vigneto del Putin” vineyard site from vines planted in 1984.  The wine is aged in barrel for at least one year before bottling.  Annual production is approximately 1,500 bottles.

To qualify as Lessona Riserva, the wine must be aged a total of 46 months before commercial release with a minimum of 30 months of the aging process occurring in barrel. This, the most grand wine of the estate, is a selection of Nebbiolo from Clerico’s finest vineyard sites, including the oldest vines of the estate (planted in 1970) in the “Vigna Gaja”. Although Lessona can be produced with a minimum of 85% Nebbiolo, Clerico’s Lessona is produced exclusively from Nebbiolo. The elegance and refinement of Clerico’s Lessona is manifest, providing another unique rendition of the complexity of the Nebbiolo grape.