Motalli Renato Has Been Working These Steep Hills His Entire Life
– He Wakes Up At 5 AM Every Day To Work in the Vineyards
– He Doesn’t Go to VinItaly or Market The Wines
– These Wines Are Absolute and Utter Masterpieces
– Aged in Old Chestnut – Totally Unique
– Please Read This Carefully
– You. Do. Not. Want. to. Miss. This.
– Some of the Most Insane Values We Offer
2018 Motalli Renato “Le Urscele” Valtellina Superiore Riserva
– You Cannot Drink This Alone – Someone Needs to Be There That You Can Tell How Great It is
– Stunning Aromatic Clarity
– Rich Cherries
– Tar, Fresh and Dried Roses
– Spice, Licorice, Strawberries, Black Tea
– Umami, Earth, A Hint of Smoke
– Palate: Tremendous Balance and Elegance
– Perfect Elegant Cherry Fruit
– So Linear and Precise with Wonderful Clarity
– Such Silky Cherry Texture
– Like Drinking Incredibly Well Made Burgundy from Nebbiolo
– One of the Best Price to Age and Quality Deals We’ve Ever Offered
– Monopole of Motalli Renato
2020 Motalli Renato Chiavennasca (Nebbiolo) Rosato
– I Hate Rose … But This Is Incredible
– On My Top 10 Rose List
– First, Rose from Nebbiolo….How Cool Is That
– Second, It’s Just Amazingly Delicious. Just Perfect Strawberries and So Juicy
– A Field of Lemon Flowers Crossed with Nebbiolo Flowers
– So Complex and Vinous
– Forget That It’s Rose – This is a Remarkable Nebbiolo That Happens to Be a Rose
– You Know You Are Going to Drink Rose At Some Point – This Is The One You’ll Want
– Nose: Intense Florals
– Field of Strawberries
– Palate – Remarkably Clear and Precise Strawberries, Early Season Cherries
– Hint of Spice
– Amazing Grip
– Remarkable Freshness
– Hint of Grapefuit Peel
– God’s Aperitivo – Fresh, Balanced, Elegant and Drinkable but So Complex
– Really a Reference Point Rose
2018 Motalli Renato Valgella
– Stunning Vintage of the Valgella
– An Elite Level Nebbiolo
– Nose: Ridiculously Intense and Complex
– Grove of Cherry Trees
– Gorgeous Pink Roes
– Sweet, Intense Rose Aromatics
– Palate: Stunning
– First of Season and Midseason Cherries
– Amazing Grip
– Amazing Spice
– Terrific Balance and Elegance
– A Hint of Savoriness
– Really, Really Well Made – Almost Too Good for Every Day
– Will Age for Decades
– At This QPR, a Case Purchase Consideration
– Perhaps the Best Under $33 Nebbiolo Value We’ve Ever Sold
“Motalli Renato is your greatest discovery – I wish I had found them myself.”
Highly Respected New York Wine Retailer Who Has Been the First to Sell More Northen Italan Estates Than Anyone in This Country
I’m going to let you all in on a little secret. While we adore Ar.Pe.Pe at Fass Selections the Fass Valtellina discovery that we go nuts about internally is the great Motalli Renato. He might be our greatest Italian discovery.
He should be uttered in the same sentence as the old classicists of the Langhe, like Bartolo Mascarello, Giuseppe Mascarello and Giuseppe Rinaldi.
He also reminds me of another Fass Selections favorite in Cornas. The classic estate of Louis Sozet, who is now defunct as Louis passed at the end of 2019. That is the quintessential Cornas and is so classic and should be in the dictionary under Cornas. Renato is in the same boat. He’s got no heirs, has never left Valtellina and makes Ar.Pe.Pe, who we love, seem downright modern. It’s very important for me to champion and preserve the classic estates of Europe as they are dwindling and who knows when they will go by the wayside. Jean Louis Grippat, Raymond Trollat, Billard-Gonet and Louis Sozet all don’t exist anymore.
The wines like all classic estates are not “easy.” To hit their peaks, they need huge decants, sometimes even 24 hours and that includes the rose, but one they hit their peak, via air or age that are singular, distinctive wines that are incomparable in all of the Nebbiolo zeitgeist. They have soul which is a term that is wildly overused in the wine world and a term I despise but it’s completely appropriate here. Motalli still only uses old chestnut barrels which is incredibly rare in Italy but used to be commonplace. He’s a staunch traditionalist and is the iconic producer of Valtellina like Sozet is to Cornas. But his day to day life, like Sozet’s was is also very old school and very traditional. He’s a rarity in this mechanized, modernized world we live in.
Who is Motalli Renato?
Renato has entered into local wine contests in the area and always places 1, 2 or 3. His first vintage was 1971 and he was the first small/artisanal producer in Valtellina. He’s the 4th generation winemaker and the winery founded in 1880.
Now the Sozet comparisons really come into play when we talk about lifestyle.
Renato wakes up at 5 AM every day and works until lunch. He eats a rustic lunch. Then he naps. And then he goes back to work until dinner time. His partner complains that all he talks about are his grapes. An obsessive is always a good thing if you are the iconic producer in a region.
Much of his diet comes from his garden or is foraged. He has fresh lettuces, radishes, strawberries, marinated porcinis and carrots.
He loves the signature dish of Valtelina, Pizzocheri, which is thick ribbons of pasta made with buckwheat flour, mixed with potatoes, local cheese and garlic butter. It’s the richest, most incredibly hearty mac’n cheese you can imagine. You can only eat this if you are working in brutally steep vineyards all day like Renato. This is what gives him energy.
He had a wood burning stove until recently when he got a gas one at the insistence of his partner.
Motali Renato is a one man shop. It’s run by Renato. He is in charge of vineyard work, the cellar, marketing, sales and accounting. And he’s been doing it for 60 years, I’d guess. I’m not going to say he’s the next Steve Jobs on the sales and marketing side. But as far as sheer winemaking ability, I’d put him up with anyone in Italy.
The Style
The wines at Motalli Renato are more classic and aromatically focused. They are incredibly old school in the best way. These are a benchmark in Valtellina for me. These are powerful, yet delicate, aromatically beguiling and unapologetically old school wines. They are all aged 100% in Chestnut wood which gives these such an engaging old school personality. These would be 3-4 times the prices if you slapped Barolo on the label. The winemakers I love often release the wines when they are ready. They are true artists. In a world that is increasingly driven by pure profit motives it is really special to see a winemaker release the wine when he’s damn ready to do it will please his customers the most. We are lucky to have Motalli Renato. These are some of the most high quality, low priced wines in the portfolio.
When Motali retires, wines like these will never, ever be made again.
Making them requires so much experience, skill and hard work that no one will ever be able to do it. You should grab cases of them. They are jewels of winemaking.
The Wines
Up first is Motalli’s Grand Cru per se, the 2018 Motalli Renato “Le Urscele” Valtellina Superiore Riserva for $39.99 a bottle on a 4-Pack. Le Urscele is a monopole of Motalli. This is likely why it does not get much attention. And we are the first to work with him in the USA so it’s not well known, but this 2017 can kick the pants off of any of the more expensive famous Valtellinas and most of the Langhe. This wine is insane and one of the most ageworthy/ready to drink deals we have ever offered. So first off, please do not think of this like a $39.99 wine – think of it more like a very, very well made $50-$70 (on release) Barbaresco. It’s 100% Nebbiolo and aged in large chestnut casks. This is old, old school winemaking by a master who has done it for decades. The nose is just gorgeous and so refined. It is what every Nebbiolo head wants.
I had this recently and I had to call my partner and make him listen to me go on and on about how great it was. The wine literally blew me away. I had to get the tasting notes out of my system verbally or I was going to explode. I literally yelled tasting notes at him for 10 minutes. To heck with the fact that this wine costs $39.99. It’s that good.
This vineyard is located next to a small wooded area in the Valgella zone. There are small birds that eat some of the grapes. Urscele is birds in local dialect. Because of the exposition and proximity to the rock wall, the fruit is a bit more rich than the other vineyards and this is why Renato bottles it separately. This year’s Urscele is a bit riper than previous years. Almost a bit brooding. Still, only 13.5% alcohol and as detailed and wispy and silky as the 13 and the 10.
The nose. Classic Nebbiolo that is utterly distinctive and entrancing. Loads of spices with a hint of vivid strawberry. Mixture of fresh and dry roses. Some licorice and maybe even a suggestion of anise and black tea. There is stunning clarity to the aromas. They build and build as the Wine gets more air. After 45 minutes you’re slack jawed smelling this wine. Gorgeous old school Nebbiolo aromas that are truly stunningly refined. Midseason cherries that are very “sweet.” Sweet is in quotes because it’s not sweet as in sugar but sweet as in perfectly ripe. It’s distinction with a difference. A clear hint of smoke. As this opens, a really intense rose perfume develops. Simply gorgeous.
The 2018 is really a vintage of balance, power and elegance. The palate is insanely delicious but also a great platform for the internal aromatics. There is terrific cherry fruit with uncanny clarity. Super juicy with the wonderful remnants and structure that come from of integrated chestnut wood. Why don’t more people use old chestnut? It’s awesome. Perfect acidic balance but not obviously acidic. Very delicious – more so even than previous vintages Uncanny complexity and freshness. Ripe, sweet tannins and wonderful pop for lack of a better word. The fruit is red as it comes and is beautifully ripe, sappy and long. So juicy on the finish with unreal elegant and juicy tannins. Lovely, lovely internal aromatics with fantastic spice. You get this distinctive richness from the 100% chestnut wood. Very silky.
The finish is very, very long and really refined. This is world class wine at the price of a merely very good wine. Don’t miss this wine. It’s a work of art. What makes this special is the interplay between the vibrancy and depth. Bravo Mr. Renato. This is a wine you cannot miss. I will email every person who has ever bought a Burgundy, German Pinot or Nebbiolo to buy this wine.
I’m also offering the 2020 Motalli Renato Chiavennasca (Nebbiolo) Rosato for $32.99 each on a 4 pack purchase. So this is 100% Nebbiolo rose – so how cool is that? So I really almost never offer rose because roses mostly all have a particular flavor (from the skin contact) of which, frankly, I’m not a fan. This one does not have that. It is just so incredibly clean and well made. I’m offering this because, well, it’s just simply really, really delicious. So good, I added it to my list of Top 10 Roses.
This is always one of my favorite roses. 100% Nebbiolo and you can tell. Incredibly vinous/serious and elegant. The aperitivo they serve in heaven. Can also be drunk with fish. The nose is just a field of fresh strawberries with dried leaves, faint roses and citrus skin. Really precise nose. Has something to say. Just gorgeous. A field of lemon flowers blinded by Nebbiolo flowers. Huge mid season cherries that are very “sweet.” A hint of smoke. As this opens, a really intense rose perfume develops. Simply gorgeous.
The palate is super precise and then just pure strawberry/first of season cherry flavors with awesome Fass Selections juiciness. Really makes your mouth water. Really nice juiciness on the finish. High acid and nice structure. So, so, so , so savory. Orange peel, spice. Almost like God’s Negroni, but low alcohol. Long, fresh and juicy. Hint of early season cherry. Hints of grapefruit pith. Needs 30 minutes of air. Nice density, structure and concentration.
Next up is the 2018 Motalli Renato Valgella Valtellina Superiore for $32.99 each on a 4 pack purchase. This is as epic as Valgella gets. It is a super, super overachiever. It’s 100% Nebbiolo aged in large chestnut barrels. Man, I love this wine. It’s a testament to the hard work that Motalli does in the vineyards that he can make a wine of this quality and sell it for a fair price. This is a miraculous year for this wine. You get the classic profile of this wine but 2017 is just a skoche more elgant than normal for some reason.
The nose is lovely cherry flower and a hint of spice. Big, evocative inner earth element. Also tar and dried roses. Delicate aromas. Crazy old world perfume. Roses, cherry flower and also gorgeous pink roses. A grove of cherry trees. Sweet roses, in a fruity way. Just insanely classic and stunning aromas.
The palate is really, really refined. The texture is so ethereal and delicate. Fresh, first of season cherries with lovely spice. Really, really juicy. Incredible freshness and so much depth from 2016. Perfectly balanced. Motalli is a master of balance. Great cut and grip. It’s a very serious wine. Great grip. Early to mid season cherry fruit. A hint of savoriness. Awesome internal aromatics. Roses, cherry flower. Really fills the palate.
A truly beautiful wine that illustrates the aromatic intensity you can get from Valtellina Nebbiolo. Terrific fruit, elegance and balance. So authentic. It’s like it’s in black and white. It’s a wine that is so well made and really floats on the palate and gives and gives – sort of like the wines of JJ Morel. The finish echoes spice and fresh cherries.
Please call Cheryl at 949 378 5251 after emailing with your firstorder if you are a first time customer (we prefer not to receive credit card numbers over E-Mail).
OFFICE HOURS 4-7 PM
I love drinking and selecting wines – but my passion for teaching people about wine is almost as big. I’m happy to announce a block of time each day where people can call me just to chat about wine in general. These blocks are NOT intended to sell wine (I do that all day). This is to talk to me about wine pairings or great producers or how long to age wines or styles of wine making or the latest wine controversy. My goal is to help people learn more about wine and enjoy it more. Call me at 917-912-4355 from 4-7EST Monday – Friday.
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A Word about Fass Selections and Social Media
I am big into certain social media and I want people to take pictures of the wines they have received or will receive and tag me in them and share their thoughts. I a am on Instagram. Please tag me there. I also am on Delectable which I love a lot. It is Iphone/Ipad only, but it’s like Instagram meets Facebook for wine. Tag me there and find me there as well. I want to know if you liked the wine, were not moved by the wine, hated the wine or the wine gave you a religious experience. I want to know it all. Feedback is key and I will answer all feedback e-mails as quickly as I can.
For all billing and invoicing inquiries please contact Nick at accounts@fassselections.com or 646-498-6078