Dirupi

Dirupi was founded in 2004 in the mountainous region of Valtellina in Lombardy just south of the Swiss border. The founders, Pierpaolo Di Franco and Davide Fasolini, are two childhood friends that crossed paths once again when they both were completing enology degrees in university. Neither had inherited land to work after graduation so the two combined what little resources they had upon completion of their degrees and rented 15 different terraced sites in Valtellina devoted to Chiavennasca. Dirupi employs sustainable practices and strives to farm organically, but the humid climate of Valtellina makes organic certification difficult. So it is all the more impressive that three of their wines achieved organic certification with the 2015 vintage.

Above the cellar housed in a sixteenth century building in Sondrio, the vineyards are scattered across Sondrio, Montagna, Poggiridenti, Grumello and Inferno. Typical to the region, all sites vary in some degree when it comes to exposure and altitude, but the terraces are predominantly sandy and poor. Organic fertilizers are used, wild ground cover is trimmed back with scythes, and naturally all harvesting is done by hand. Plots are harvested as individual lots and brought down the slope to be vinified together based on the altitude of the vineyards the fruit came from. Macerations tend to be 12-30 days long and fermentation starts in stainless steel. The wines then age for at least 18 months in a combination of French oak 225 liter barrels and 20 hectoliter vats. Bottles are held below the cellar in ideal conditions to achieve a mesmerizing character of elegance and complexity.