TERROIR PROFILE
Colli Tortonesi
Calcareous marl — Timorasso country
Walter Massa's Timorasso: one of Italy's great whites, from calcareous marl near Tortona.
Climate, site & wine
Calcareous marl with clay and silt pockets forms the soil, especially around Monleale, Sarezzano and Avolasca. Timorasso develops structure and ageing potential here.
Walter Massa rescued the variety from near extinction from the 1980s onwards; it increasingly appears as Derthona. Barbera and Croatina supply the reds. The area lies in a transitional zone with Alpine and maritime influences; large day-night swings favour aroma and acidity.
TERROIR PROFILE · Piedmont
Colli Tortonesi Calcareous marl — Timorasso country
Walter Massa's Timorasso: one of Italy's great whites, from calcareous marl near Tortona.
SOILS
Marlbalanced, structured
Marl is a mix of limestone and clay — yields structured, balanced wines with acidity backbone.
Loambody-rich, velvety
Loamy soils give wines volume and a soft, velvety mouthfeel.
Sandstonewarm, dry, spicy
Sandstone warms quickly and yields ripe, fragrant wines with yellow fruit and fine spice.
CLIMATE · Cool continental
The Colli Tortonesi form a transitional zone between the Apennines and the Po plain, with a temperate continental climate under Ligurian influence; altitudes reach over 400 metres.
TOPOGRAPHY · moderate
Hills around Tortona, Monleale, Sarezzano and Costa Vescovato in southeastern Piedmont at the edge of the Apennines. Altitudes reach over 400 metres.
WHAT IT MEANS IN THE GLASS
Similar terroirs worldwide
Computed from fingerprint similarity
Roter Hang
Rheinhessen
96% similar
- Freshness (slightly): Colli Tortonesi has less freshness → gentler acidity, earlier drinking (7 vs. 8).
Colmar & Kaysersberger Tal
Alsace
94% similar
- Dryness (slightly): Colli Tortonesi is wetter → juicier, softer, more plushness (6 vs. 7).
- Freshness (slightly): Colli Tortonesi has more freshness → crisp acidity, long ageing (7 vs. 6).
Wineries on this terroir
See all 2 →This terroir's soils in the glossary