WTN: Three Bellavista Sparklers

Bellavista Tasting, 12/17/11, The Urban Grape, Brookline, MA

A big thank you to Sara Pedrali, Bellavista’s national sales rep; and the staff of the Urban Grape, for hosting this tasting. Although I drink many Italian wines, and Franciacorta is supposedly Italy’s best sparkling wine region, my experience with these wines has been very limited to date. (On the other hand, there are a lot of other interesting sparkling and frizzante wines from elsewhere it Italy that I have been able fortunate enough to try.)
Sara was a very informative presenter, and taught me a lot that I did not know about Bellavista and Franciacorta. Among other things, I learned that Chardonnay was the major grape in the region, and Pinot Noir and Pinot Blanc are the only other authorized grapes in this DOCG, which has some of the strictest regulations in Italy.
As far as the inevitable comparison with Champagne, I thought that the Bellavista sparklers were in fact very high in terms of quality. One clear different is that they are not as high in acidity, due to the warmer climate of Franciacorta. That being said, they are well structured and nicely balanced, and qualitatively compare well to many NV Champagnes in the $30-$60 range. They are certainly among the best sparklers that I have had outside of Champagne, and probably the best that I have had from Italy outside of the rather expensive 1997 Giulio Ferrari.

NV Franciacorta DOCG Cuvée Brut
80% Chardonnay; the rest Pinot Noir and Pinot Blanc. Good mousse/small bubbles. Light to medium-bodied, slightly off-dry, well balanced, with moderate acidity. Fresh, floral, biscuity, round, with white peach and citrus notes. Very good/excellent.

2006 Franciacorta DOCG Gran Cuvée Brut
72% Chardonnay/28% Pinot Noir. Good mousse/small bubbles. Floral/smoky/meaty nose. Light to medium-bodied, elegant, drier, more structured, well balanced, with moderate acidity. Shows white fruit, apple, biscuit, almond, and mineral notes. Excellent.

2005 Franciacorta DOCG Gran Cuvée Rosé Brut
55% Pinot Noir/45% Chardonnay. Good mousse/small bubbles. Very, very light onion-pink color. Light to medium-bodied, dry, fresh, and crisp, with red berry, citrus, and mineral notes; some hints of oak and biscuits. Excellent.

Andrew,

have you tried any of the sparkling wines from the Alta Langa appellation in Piedmont?

thanks Andrew. I've enjoyed Bellavista, but in my market value seems sketchy.
Oliver, never heard of this appellation. Can you tell us a bit about it?

Alta Langa is a relatively recently defined appellation for 'classic method, classic variety' sparkling wines grown in high-altitude, mostly chalky vineyards very near the Barolo area. For my taste the best classic sparkling wines in Italy are made there, although it isn't nearly as well-known as Franciacorta.

As Andrew says, there are a number of very good indigenous sparkling wine types in Italy too, including some made by the Champagne method. I have had very good Gavi, Fiano and Nebbiolo Rosé wines made this way, for example.

Alta Langa is a relatively recently defined appellation for 'classic method, classic variety' sparkling wines grown in high-altitude, mostly chalky vineyards very near the Barolo area. For my taste the best classic sparkling wines in Italy are made there, although it isn't nearly as well-known as Franciacorta. .

By classic varieties I assume you mean PN, PM,. and Chardonnay (or is there a local "classic" tradition?). Any recommended producers imported to US? WS Pro turns up only 2 wines for Alta Langa, both Germanos- a PN from Moore Bro and a bianco from Wallys

Sorry, Dale, I suppose I should just say Champagne method and Pinot Noir/Chardonnay.

I import Germano in CA, and it's 80% Pinot Noir and 20% Chardonnay, I think 2 years on the lees. I like it a lot. The problem with a young appellation like that is that there aren't that many examples out there; at least some of the big Asti houses are making the wine, though, and I'm surprised we aren't seeing those wines in the market.

At the risk of shilling, I think Germano's is very good; fairly dry, very good acidity, and quite distinctive. The vines are less than ten years old, as will generally be the case (the DOC was established in '02). This is certainly the best use for Pinot Noir in Italy, in my view.

I am generally more interested in sparkling wines from indigenous varieties, though. Some are 'cuve close' (which is not looked down on in Italy the way it is in France) and some Champagne method.

Andrew,

have you tried any of the sparkling wines from the Alta Langa appellation in Piedmont?

Hi Oliver -

No, I have not tried anything yet with the Alta Langa DOC on the label - seems to be a rather new appellation. The Bruno Giacosa Brut is very good, however - maybe it would quality as part of Alta Langa in the future? I also like Piedmontese frizzante reds like the Cantina del Pino Langhe Freisa, and the Bricco Mondalino Molignano, from the Malvasia di Casorzo DOC.

Andrew,

I am not sure where the Giacosa fruit comes from, but I agree it's very good. I have never had either the Freisa or the Malvasia di Casorzo you mention, I'll look out for them.