Dirupi Sforzato di Valtellina 2018 (750 ml)

With only 922 bottles made, the 2011 Sforzato di Valtellina Vino Sbagliato is not an easy wine to come by. Vino Sbagliato (or "mistake wine") was born in 2006 and made once again in 2007. The results were believed to be disappointing and fruit was sourced from an underperforming vineyard. The wine was put at the back of the cellars and basically forgotten until a restauranteur visited the winery and asked to taste the "mistake wine." Turns out, the mistake was not so bad. This is a garnet colored red wine with sweet fruit aromas that include wild berry and a touch of clove or dark spice. In the mouth, the wine offers smooth tannins and some extra fruit plumpness that feels soft and soothing on the palate (it is aged in French barrique).

90 points from Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate

Winery Notes: We began making this wine in 2006 and did so again in 2007. Although the result was good, for us it was not sufficient. The vines from which we took the grapes were not the most suitable and we had not been flawless in our winemaking.

For a few years, we “forgot” those wines in the cellars and then began tasting them once again. Again, they did not excite us and we thought we had been wrong (“sbagliato”) in making them. However, when a friend of ours who owns a restaurant came to visit us in our cellars, he always wanted to taste that particular wine. One day, asking to taste it again, he said: “can I try the vino sbagliato?” Whence the name!

We had paused the Sforzato project, but only in terms of the winemaking: in the meantime, we had sought and found a vineyard that seemed right for us and began working it in accordance with regulations for organic production. In 2011, we decided the moment had come, the vintage was announced and here came the wine: this time, we really were satisfied.

But how to resolve the question of its name? The wine wasn’t wrong any more! Our graphic designer had a brilliant idea: we would score through the whole name. This led to the new label and explains the lines.