Gorgeous, High-Tension Nebbiolo
2008 Clerico Lessona
Perfume, Poise, Mineral
2008 is one of our favorite vintages of the past decade.
Clerico's 2008 Lessona drives this point home with its fineness, its clarity and its energy.
Clerico is a new addition to importer Neal Rosenthal's portfolio (we introduced Clerico's wines a couple of years ago) and is quickly joining the ranks of favorites from the Northern Piedmont, right there with Ferrando.
Today marks our third Clerico offering. The response to the wines has been really impressive. From top-to-bottom, Clerico's line-up is beautiful and undoubtedly impressive. For the past offers, we've focused on the value that Clerico represents. However, the 2008 Lessona, their top wine, is so spectacular that we immediately scheduled an offer after tasting it.
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| Entrance to Azienda Clerico |
Lessona is a tiny appellation totaling 23ha in Northern Piedmont with yellow sandy soils. This is a perfumed, subtle and ultra-energetic expression of Nebbiolo. The classic, highly transparent 2008 vintage provided the perfect conditions for Lessona's unique expression of Nebbiolo.
Clerico's 2008 Lessona is just lovely with a pinpoint balance, nervy and silken with bright cherry fruit, roses and a backdrop of dark minerality. This is Nebbiolo with its most beguiling aromatics and its most food friendly crackling acidity.
This is gorgeous and devastatingly delicate Nebbiolo. The silken, well-integrated tannins combine with a brisk acidity, shocking finesse, and an intriguing medley of fruits, perfumes, spices, and earth. This is a simply fascinating wine, the aromas seem to rifle through the mountain, the orchard, and the forest: bright cherries, red berries, rose, violets, leather, and rocky minerals all join the flavor procession.
Clerico's 2008 Lessona is something that will age well for the next decade and likely a good amount longer. Like the majority of Northern Piedmont, the Lessona is structured around its acidity and that makes it fairly easy to drink in its youth. In short, this is a bottle that we never tire of. Highly recommended.
To order, reply to offers@crushwineco.com or call the store at (212) 980-9463.
Joe Salamone
Wine Buyers
Crush Wine & Spirits