If you ever visit Valtellina, you might wonder how it’s even possible to make wine there at all.

This narrow Alpine valley in northern Lombardy is a land of steep stone terraces stacked along the cliffs. There’s no machinery, no shortcuts — just hand-tended vines and heroic labor. And yet, from this extreme terrain, the Fay family has been producing some of Italy’s most graceful Nebbiolos.

Valtellina isn’t the only place where Nebbiolo thrives in the mountains. Alto Piemonte has had its renaissance, too. But where Alto Piemonte gives you cooler soils and a mix of grapes and terroirs, Valtellina is purer, more focused: Nebbiolo alone, grown high and hard against the rock, with a clarity and tension that’s unlike anything else.

Since the 1970s, Sandro Fay has helped lead the charge to show what this place is capable of. Today, his son Marco continues the work, crafting wines that speak softly but resonate deeply. We’re featuring three of them that, together, offer a beautiful snapshot of the region.

The 2023 Rosso di Valtellina “Tei” is bright and vivid. It’s a delicious introduction to the style and one of the most drinkable reds you’ll find anywhere. From the family’s home vineyard comes 2019 Ca’ Morei, grown on lighter soils and expressing the elegance and perfume that make mountain Nebbiolo so compelling. Just across the slope, 2019 Carteria Riserva shows the other side of the coin: denser, darker, and more structured, it’s approachable now but will age magnificently for years to come. 

These are wines of quiet intensity and uncommon beauty. This is Nebbiolo born from stone, shaped by altitude, and impossible to make anywhere else.

Sandro Fay Rosso di Valtellina Tei 2023 - $22.99

Sandro Fay Valtellina Superiore Ca Morei 2019 - $48.99

Sandro Fay Valtellina Superiore Riserva Carteria 2019 - $57.99