| Type | Red |
|---|---|
| Grapes | Nebbiolo / Chiavennasca |
| Serving temp. | 16-18°C |
| Ageing | 12 months Slavonian oak barrels |
| Style | Intense, structured, lovable rogue Valtellina Nebbiolo |
| Longevity | Very long |
Baloss is the third wine in the Retica Nebbiolo range — the Chiavennasca given twelve months of ageing in Slavonian oak barrels, a period that develops the wine's structure and aromatic complexity to the fullest extent that the estate's artisanal production philosophy allows short of the legendary Bramito. It is named with the same Lombard dialect word that the Brandolini family uses — Baloss, the lovable rogue — a name that in Valtellina carries additional resonance: the playful, irreverent spirit of a wine that refuses to follow conventional expectations while delivering something of genuine quality.
Between September and October, while deer are singing their love chant in the woods of the Retica Alps, the estate devotes itself to the grape harvest — selecting only the best bunches of Nebbiolo, strictly by hand, from the 50-year minimum old vines of the Grumello and Inferno subzones at 40% slope inclination. This harvest season description is among the most evocative in the UniqueWines catalogue: the coexistence of human agricultural labour and wild nature's own seasonal rhythms on the ancient terraces of the Retica Alps.
Ruby red with great intensity and breadth on the nose, floral nuances and good body supported by lively and subtle acidity — the Retica Baloss presents with the same aromatic and structural profile as the Brandolini Baloss, because both wines share the same variety, the same Lombard territory, and the same Slavonian oak ageing commitment. The shared name across the two estates is a coincidence of naming rather than a commercial connection — two separate families, two separate estates, arriving independently at the same Lombard dialect word for the same wine archetype.
The Baloss is produced in the context of the Retica estate's strictly limited total production — all wines available through UniqueWines in the most carefully managed quantities from an estate that makes only enough to maintain the quality its philosophy demands.
Available through UniqueWines in strictly limited quantities.
