Vigneti Massa Derthona

The mark of Genoa or Liguria, also known as the Mark of Obertenga, was a border that separated France and the northwest of Italy. Created in 961 by Emperor Otto I, this area came under the rule of the Obertenghi family (hence its name), which earned him the title of marquisate.

This historically interesting area is home to the grapes used to make Vigneti Massa Derthona, a single-variety wine made from Timoraso and aged on lees in the D.O.C. Colli Tortonesi. This wine is made by Walter Massa, guru and visionary, the latest generation of the Vigneti Massa winery (founded in 1879), who from the very beginning decided to work on recovering the Timoraso, a variety native to Piedmont that was on the verge of disappearing. So in 1987, Walter strengthened its status with a first production of 570 bottles. In his day he was a pioneer, but now he is not alone and has been joined by several producers in the area who have brought this variety back to life.

Wines like Vigneti Massa Derthona demonstrate the great power that Timoraso develops in the Apennine and Pre-Apennine hills where Massa has recovered about 154 hectares of this variety that is planted on very varied soils (clay, chalk, stone and sand). In the winery, the vinification of Vigneti Massa Derthona begins with a 40-45 hour maceration where the grapes, which have already been crushed, remain in contact with the must. During this step, the temperature should be kept cold to prevent the spontaneous start of fermentation. However, this won’t take long because, once racked into stainless steel tanks, Vigneti Massa Derthona ferments. It will spend a year here, in contact with the lees, with periodic battonages and stirrings that will attempt to tame and soften the strong character of the Timoraso in its younger stage. Finally, after this, Vigneti Massa Derthona is bottled, becoming the living testimony of the entire history of northern Italy.