2024 · Rosso di Valtellina Tei

Founded by Sandro Fay in 1973, this family-owned estate in Lombardy’s Valtellina is now managed by his children Marco, the winemaker, and Elena. The estate focuses on small-batch, single-vineyard wines from sandy, silty and schist soils, including Chardonnay and Nebbiolo parcels. Farming is labeled sustainable, with low chemical inputs; some sites are farmed organically, though no formal organic or biodynamic certification is specified. In the cellar, the family favors minimal intervention, wild yeasts, steel-tank fermentation and no filtration, with sulfites kept below 90 ppm. Chardonnay spends at least nine months in neutral French oak. The wines are made in modest quantities, emphasizing site expression and hands-on family stewardship.