A release of about 6,000 bottles, the Ar. Pe. Pe. 2013 Valtellina Superiore Riserva Sassella Nuova Regina draws its fruit from terraced vineyards delineated by rocky drywalls. The vines are at least 50 years old and planted in friable metamorphic rock or gneiss shaped by glaciers. This wine is made in a highly traditional manner with extended skin maceration in oak casks, and all the harvest work is done by hand. This is a true beauty with enormous finesse and a deep well of aromatic nuances that center around wild berries, blue flowers and iron ore. The wine is carefully aged with fine and silky tannins. It tastes great, so if you have a bottle you can drink it now or wait longer if that is your pleasure. (ML)

The 2013 Valtellina Superiore Sassella Riserva Nuova Regina is quite delicate in its first impression. Red fruit, mint, orange peel, rose petals and cinnamon linger on the nose. Ethereal, weightless and classy to the core, the Nuova Regina is not a huge wine, but silky aromatics extend the mid-palate and finish nicely. (AG)