Luca de Marchi buzzes with energy and excitement when you meet him in his new/old winery in Lessona. He is the son of Paulo de Marchi, the winemaker who created world-class wines at Isola e Olena in Tuscany. However, the family roots are in Alto Piemonte. Luca longs to continue the contributions of the historic Sperino family. A relative from the nineteenth century, Felice Sperino, a doctor and professor, dedicated himself to viticulture, including writing a pamphlet in 1881 on the role of American vines in the battle against phylloxera. In 1999, Luca set up what has become Proprietà Sperino, one of the better-known wineries in the area. In 2004, there were just 2.5 hectares; this has grown to 11 hectares plus 2 in neighbouring Bramaterra. The winery has outgrown its original, cramped cellar space, and Luca has acquired a former textile factory to create his new winery.

Despite the fame of the de Marchi name, making a success of the wines of Lessona means facing multiple challenges. Yields in the vineyards are painfully low. This is due to a combination of acidic soils based on the startlingly yellow marine sands, topsoil with few nutrients and high rainfall. Luca recalls that when he bought a new vineyard, the soil was virtually dead. It is only with repeated addition of compost and regular advice from consultant entomologists and agronomists that he is gradually building up the biodiversity of the soils. Vines are netted to prevent loss to hail. In addition, Lessona is little known as a wine denomination. In the market, Lessona ‘doesn’t exist,’ states Luca. The total plantings for the denomination are small.  On the positive side, the Nebbiolo wines of Lessona, grown on sandy soils, show an elegance and finesse rarely achieved in other denominations.

Winemaking here is low intervention, and a great deal of patience is exercised in the maturation of the wines. Lessona DOC is made with 100% Nebbiolo grapes. Fermentation with ambient yeast takes place in open vats at low temperatures to preserve the primary fruit. Fermentation lasts for 2 to 3 weeks, with a total time on skins of around 28 days. Malolactic fermentation takes place in old French oak small barrels, 225 to 500 L in size. The wine is then matured in Slavonian oak casks for three and a half to four years. Bramaterra DOC, of course, must be a blend, in this case of Nebbiolo (80%), Vespolina (15%) and Croatina (5%). The fruit comes from the historic Madonna degli Angeli vineyard planted in the 1960s, plus some additional vineyards. Here again, the soils are extremely poor due to the outcropping granite and porphyry rocks. 

Overall, Luca de Marchi’s intellectual interests and frenetic energy, combined with his desire to restore Alto Piemonte’s high reputation, make him one of the area’s most compelling figures. The same attention to detail and unwavering commitment create wines that reflect the particularities of his two denominations.