2023 Walter Massa Timorasso 'Derthona' Piedmont

Winemaker Notes:  Timorasso is one of the many indigenous grape varieties that Winetraders has introduced to the UK and it may well be the most intriguing. Grown around the city of Tortona in eastern Piemonte, it is a late ripener and susceptible to all kinds of disease – hence why it’s not grown very much any more. When I met its saviour – Walter Massa – in 1999 there were only 6 ha left in the world (Walter had all of them). Now there are more than 100 and Timorasso has started to appear on lots of fashionable wine lists. Stylistically it’s a bit like really good, unoaked Chardonnay. Think Macon but better than Macon can (almost) ever be. Richly textured with a buttery note and stone fruit on the palate, it ages forever and takes on complexity through the years. A unsung hero if ever there were one.