Massa’s opening play on the Timorasso front, the ‘Piccolo Derthona,’ is a nod to the ‘Petit Chablis’ bottlings of Burgundy’s north, whereby fruit from beyond the traditional heart of a given region is used to make slightly simpler, and often more affordable expressions of the area. Understandably enough, there are many a Chablisienne quality to be found here: vibrant and pithy yellow citrus fruit, beeswax, blossoming citrus flower, and chalky minerals make clear the French connection as well as the grape’s own distinct, delicious strengths. Brief and simple vinification is in steel, with regular lees stirring over the following 12 months to lend some added love handles to an otherwise laser-focused white. With time and temperature, the Piccolo Derthona evolves into something more textural and mid-weighted, with an added nutty oiliness and more luscious honeyed stonefruit element emerging.
Around his home town of Monleale in southwest Piedmont’s Colli Tortonesi subzone, Walter Massa is referred to, often in hushed tones, as ‘the prophet.’ The underlying resonance here has nothing to do with any mystical theological tidings, nor connections to a higher power, but more so a reference to the man’s singular perseverance that saw him all but single-handedly retrieve the now celebrated Timorasso grape from the brink of obscurity and thrust it back into the realms of Italian grapes worthing giving a darn about. A genuine contadino (farmer) at heart, with deep familial roots in his native Colli Tortonesi, Massa can usually be found plowing his vineyards or buzzing around his cellar when someone arrives for a visit. He’ll then stop to spend hours showing you around, pouring wines for anyone with a glass in hand, and talking with the continual waves of journalists, sommeliers, importers, buyers, and just plain fans who make their way to his village to gain a deeper understanding and appreciation for the ‘Maestro of Timorasso.’