Timorasso Reimagined: The Debut of Derthona
From two of Piedmont’s most iconic figures comes a white wine with deep roots and a vivid new voice. The 2023 Cascina Penna-Currado ‘Derthona’ Timorasso is a radiant debut from Elena Penna and Luca Currado Vietti—the family behind Vietti’s decades of acclaim—who have returned with something smaller, more personal, and just as compelling.
Their new estate, Cascina Penna-Currado, is built on centuries of Langhe history and a commitment to artisanal winemaking grounded in sustainability, family, and place. Elena’s long-standing love of Timorasso led them beyond Barolo to Derthona in the Colli Tortonesi, where fossil-rich marls of Sant’Agata lend an unmistakable salty-mineral core to the wines. The 2023 vintage captures the soul of the region with quiet power and effortless elegance.
In the glass, this Timorasso is vibrant and textural, offering lifted notes of chamomile, apricot, and white flowers, alongside hints of tropical fruit and crushed stone. Gentle stem inclusion during fermentation brings a pleasing grip and complexity, while the use of small ceramic and cement vessels for aging preserves purity and precision. It’s bright and structured, but with just enough creaminess to feel luxurious—every inch a serious white, yet totally alive and open.
This is Timorasso as it should be: expressive, distinctive, and rooted in place. At a time when Italian white wine often leans too safe or too showy, this strikes a balance that feels truly special. The craftsmanship is apparent, the ambition clear, and the result is one of the most exciting new releases from the Langhe this year.
The 2023 ‘Derthona’ is a masterclass in what makes Timorasso so compelling—textured, mineral, and quietly powerful. I was stunned by the wine’s balance of richness and precision, its ability to feel both deeply rooted and totally alive in the glass. With layers of salted apricot, crushed stones, and delicate floral lift, this is the first white from Cascina Penna-Currado, and if this is how they’re starting, I’m all in. These wines are not just promising—they’re already among the best in the region.
93 Points, Vinous
The 2023 Timorasso ‘Derthona’ is gorgeous. Creamy, ample, and beautifully layered in the glass, it offers up hints of apricot, chamomile, and white flowers, and light tropical accents that develop in the glass. Gentle, non-oxidative extraction with stems lends texture, while blocked malolactic fermentation in 5H Clayver cement barrels keeps the flavors bright. This is beautifully done.
