{"product_id":"massimo-clerico-ca-du-leria-costa-della-sesia-rosso-2020","title":"Massimo Clerico Ca' du Leria Costa della Sesia Rosso 2020","description":"\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eIf you’re reading this, you almost certainly love Nebbiolo. Most famously grown in the rolling hills of Barolo and Barbaresco, Nebbiolo’s story doesn’t end in the Langhe. Just northeast—closer to the towering, snow-dusted peaks of the Alps—lies Alto Piemonte, where the grape takes on a different accent entirely. Stand in the vineyards here and you feel it immediately: cool air sliding down from the mountains, quiet towns stitched together by narrow roads, vines stretching as far as the eye can see beneath an impossibly dramatic skyline. Higher elevation, ancient soils, and a long, stubbornly traditional winemaking culture produce wines that are more high-toned, more elegant, and deeply refined. Nebbiolo is often blended with Croatina and Vespolina, adding spice, lift, and savory nuance, and the wines taste unmistakably like the landscape—fresh, linear, and alive. Around the town of Lessona, Alto Piemonte legend Massimo Clerico produces some of my favorite red wines anywhere on earth, bottles brimming with classic northern Italian charm that I could happily drink every day of my life. These wines have a devoted sommelier following—walk into almost any serious Italian restaurant in the U.S. and you’re likely to find Clerico on the list. One of my favorites comes from vines just north of Lessona in the Costa della Sesia, grown literally next door to the family home, capturing everything I love about this place and Clerico’s wines—and delivering price-to-quality that is, frankly, ridiculous.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eGetting to Alto Piemonte feels like slipping behind the curtain of Piedmont. Drive north from Milan or east from Turin and the landscape shifts dramatically—rolling foothills give way to alpine slopes, forests, and vineyards carved into ancient moraines and volcanic outcrops. This is Nebbiolo’s northern frontier, home to historic appellations like Boca, Bramaterra, Ghemme, Gattinara, and Lessona—regions that were once more famous than Barolo itself in the 19th century. The soils here are radically different from the Langhe: volcanic porphyry, granite, sand, and iron-rich clay instead of limestone marl. The wines reflect this geology—less about sheer power, more about tension, aromatics, and mineral drive. Lessona and the surrounding Costa della Sesia zone are especially prized for their sandy, marine-derived soils, producing wines of haunting perfume, silky tannins, and a distinctly alpine elegance.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMassimo Clerico is one of Alto Piemonte’s quiet greats. Farming organically long before it was fashionable, Clerico has been a torchbearer for Lessona and its surrounding areas since the early 1990s, preserving old vineyards that might otherwise have disappeared. His approach is resolutely traditional: low yields, native yeasts, long macerations, and élevage in large, neutral oak that allows terroir—not cellar tricks—to speak clearly. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eCa’ du Leria\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e comes from a small vineyard parcel in Costa della Sesia planted right beside the Clerico family home, making this wine deeply personal as well as profoundly expressive. The blend—anchored by Nebbiolo (locally called Spanna), with Croatina and Vespolina—captures Alto Piemonte at its most honest: lifted, savory, and quietly complex. With the outstanding 2020 vintage now showing real aromatic openness, this is one of Italy’s great insider bottles—and a wine that routinely outperforms Barolo and Barbaresco costing twice as much.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe 2020 Ca’ du Leria opens with aromas of wild cherry, dried strawberry, rose petal, dried orange peel, crushed alpine herbs, and a savory, iron-tinged earthiness. On the palate, it’s medium-bodied, vibrant, and precise, with fine-boned tannins, bright alpine acidity, and a long, mineral-driven finish that feels etched rather than heavy. At the table, pair it the local way: \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003etapulone\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e (hand-chopped beef stew scented with red wine and herbs), braised veal, mushroom risotto, or polenta with slow-cooked pork and sage. Serve it slightly cool, give it a bit of air, and watch it disappear faster than you planned. This is Alto Piemonte at its most honest—and one of those bottles that reminds you exactly why you fell in love with Nebbiolo in the first place.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Elevage","offers":[{"title":"750ml","offer_id":45851985379484,"sku":"CAUB2512-MASCL20SES-750","price":35.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0694\/6937\/2572\/files\/2020MassimoClerico_WEB.png?v=1766599150","url":"https:\/\/thecaubleist.com\/products\/massimo-clerico-ca-du-leria-costa-della-sesia-rosso-2020","provider":"The Caubleist","version":"1.0","type":"link"}