2024 Vigneti Massa "Piccolo Derthona", Piedmont, Italy

ABOUT THIS WINE

The Piccolo Derthona is Vigneti Massa’s youthful, early-drinking expression of Timorasso, Piedmont’s native white grape that Walter Massa almost single-handedly revived from near extinction in the 1980s. Sourced from younger vines around Tortona in southeastern Piedmont, the fruit reflects limestone-clay soils that lend both freshness and an undercurrent of minerality.

In 2024, a mild season with excellent diurnal shifts produced grapes with crisp acidity and balanced ripeness. Grapes were hand-harvested, gently pressed, and fermented with native yeasts in stainless steel to preserve aromatics. The wine rests briefly on lees, gaining subtle texture without losing its fresh, fruit-driven style.

Unlike Massa’s age-worthy single-vineyard Timorasso bottlings, Piccolo Derthona is crafted for immediacy—bright, clean, and versatile at the table, while still carrying the grape’s hallmark mineral depth.

ABOUT THIS PRODUCER

Vigneti Massa, led by visionary winemaker Walter Massa, is the reference point for Timorasso and the driving force behind the renaissance of Derthona wines in Piedmont. In the late 20th century, Massa championed Timorasso at a time when it had nearly disappeared, proving it could produce whites with depth, minerality, and the capacity to age like great Burgundy or Rhône wines.

The estate farms sustainably across hillside vineyards around Tortona, emphasizing soil health, low yields, and precision viticulture. In the cellar, Massa takes a minimalist approach: native fermentations, restrained oak use, and thoughtful élevage to showcase the purity and structure of Timorasso.

While his flagship Timorasso bottlings are complex and cellar-worthy, Piccolo Derthona offers a more approachable, youthful side of this noble grape—an introduction to the terroir and philosophy of one of Piedmont’s most influential modern producers.