2024 Walter Massa - Colli Tortonesi DOC Timorasso Piccolo Derthona (750ml)

Walter Massa is often called the father of Timorasso, an indigenous white grape from Piedmont's Colli Tortonesi that had nearly vanished by the mid-20th century in favor of easier, higher-yielding varieties. Taking over his family's winery, founded in 1879 in the village of Monleale, Massa spent the 1980s and '90s convinced the grape could produce something far more serious than the everyday bulk wine his family had long sold, releasing his first small batch of just 570 bottles in 1987. His persistence paid off: Timorasso is now recognized under its own name, Derthona, with its own quality tiers within the Colli Tortonesi DOC, a renaissance credited largely to Massa's early conviction. Alongside his whites, he also produces distinctive reds from local varieties like Barbera, Croatina, Freisa, and Nebbiolo, and remains, by all accounts, a hands-on farmer as likely to be found plowing his vineyards as pouring wine for visitors.

Piccolo Derthona is the earlier-released, more approachable sibling to Massa's flagship Derthona and Derthona Riserva bottlings, made entirely from Timorasso grown on mostly limestone soil around 300 meters in the Tortona hills. The 2024 growing season brought heavy rain and pressure from downy mildew, requiring careful vineyard work to bring in healthy fruit, which is then vinified with a period of skin contact before an earlier bottling than the estate's other Timorasso wines.

The wine shows a green-tinged straw color, with ripe yellow peach aromas and a light, elegant, faintly smoky mineral edge. The flavor is bold yet nicely balanced by bright acidity, making it easy to drink. It pairs well with baked fish, pasta with pesto, or a Milanese-style risotto.