2015 AR.PE.PE. Nebbiolo Valtellina Superiore - Grumello Rocca de Piro - Italy, Lombardia, Valtellina, Valtellina Superiore - Grumello (12/14/2022)
Three hours in the decanter, and more would have been better. The aromatics kept developing over the two hours I tried it. Tart cherry, rose petal, black tea and even a little bit of old reel-to-reel tape came through. Lighter on the palate than I expected (though the pale & translucent color was a bit of an indicator), but it still had plenty of flavor impact, as well as abundant structure. A wine to wait on for a while. Should be fascinating with a little bit more cellar time.
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Those ArPePe Nebbs are always pretty incredible. Too bad they’re so expensive, but not compared to Nebbs from B/B.
Tom
I got this one at a pretty decent price. As I was drinking it I found myself thinking that it was the model for what the Idlewild Nebbiolo could be someday.
Thanks for the note I have a couple of these that I will keep buried.
I had the 2012 earlier this year, and got a similar impression overall - lighter bodied, but not lacking in flavor. How was the finish? The 2012 definitely opened up over the meal, but the thin finish on my bottle made me question (maybe unnecessarily) how much it would improve.
This was light but not thin. Plenty of flavor impact.
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Well… that would be great. But I think that “terroir” thing might have the last say-so.
Tom
Of course, but in terms of overall weight/texture it’s the closest comparison I have run into so far.
Thanks for the note! As I read this post I thought to myself about how underrated AR.PE.PE. is, and then I realized how few bottles I have! You have given me a new plan for 2023: Buy more AR.PE.PE.!
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Vintage could play a role here - the 2010 iteration of this wine was definitely not thin at any point. Another data point that may or may not be useful is the 2012 Stella Retica which was for sure on the lean side.
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Given the price escalation some people seem to rate them rather highly 
I’ll be following the same plan though, whenever I come across fairly priced bottles.
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Lombardy is still very exciting for those hunting for unknown producers and good value. There are some top cult producers making excellent wines (like AR.PE.PE. and others) and some commercial producers making low cost inferior wines. The problem with the top producers will always be volume: they are just not able to make enough bottles to satisfy global demand, and hence are fairly difficult to find in overseas markets. For instance, I know of some connoisseurs that have been searching for 3 years for a single bottle of a special Barbacan Valtellina Superiore. Best method for acquiring stock is to simply drive to the region and visit the makers.
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Barbacan’s 2015 Söl was great! (TN: Charles Heidsieck NV with some age and Barbacàn Valtellina)
Can’t remember once coming across a bottle from this producer ever since, would definitely be a buyer.
I bought a few cases of Barbacan from a wine store in Como two years ago. Last year, the same wine store had zero bottles of it.
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The story of my life. Make a great find in a small shop somewhere, return a year or two later to find that the well is now dry.
Prices have more than doubled across the board over the last ten years, it’s getting a little difficult to define ARPEPE as underrated 
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Thing is, what would be a “fair price”? ARPEPE prices here in Europe don’t really vary that much. You won’t find the top crus priced under 70EUR any more, and you won’t find the mid-range crus under 40EUR either (talking retail).
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I guess it’s about 60-70€ for the top wines, I’ve certainly seen them priced higher as well. Not dreaming about walking in a restaurant in Milano and buying them to go for 36€ per bottle anymore!
Poured the 2012 of this wine at my wedding reception with porchetta – Absolutely delicious.
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Sorry. No idea what that typing was.