# Triacca Sassella Valtellina Superiore (NV)

- **Producer:** Casa Vinicola Triacca
- **Colour:** red
- **Type:** still
- **Grapes:** Nebbiolo
- **Region:** Lombardia, Italy
- **Style:** Classic
- **Alcohol:** 13.0%
- **Average price:** €19
- **Contains sulphites:** Yes
- **When to drink:** Now or Later
- **Serving temperature:** 16–18 °C
- **Aromas & flavours:** raspberry, cherry, rose, violet, liquorice, cedar, hazelnut

## About this wine

Casa Vinicola Triacca is a historic family winery founded in 1897, now in its fourth generation of stewardship. Headquartered at Tenuta La Gatta, a former 16th-century monastery in Bianzone, the estate is renowned for its high-altitude terraced vineyards in the Valtellina valley of Lombardy. Sassella is one of the premier subzones of Valtellina Superiore, where vines cling to steep, south-facing granite ledges. Triacca pioneered horizontal terracing in the region, helping sustain heroic alpine viticulture while crafting elegant expressions of mountain Nebbiolo.

## Interesting facts

- The name Sassella comes from 'sasso' (stone), referring to the steep rocky cliffs where the vines cling.
- Triacca introduced horizontal terracing to Valtellina to make steep alpine viticulture more sustainable.
- The winery headquarters, Tenuta La Gatta, is a historic 16th-century monastery surrounded by vineyards.

## Food pairing

The wine's bright mountain acidity cuts through rich, cheese-laden buckwheat pasta and fatty braised meats, while its firm tannins seamlessly bridge structured red proteins and aged cheeses.

## Wine making process

The grapes are 100% hand-harvested from steep terraced slopes at elevations between 300 and 650 meters. Fermentation takes place in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks over 12 to 15 days, employing automatic punch-downs and delestage to gently extract color and tannin structure. The wine undergoes traditional aging for a minimum of 12 months in large oak casks before bottling, followed by cellaring prior to release.