Berlucchi 61 Franciacorta Nature 2013

Cellar for up to 9 years. Serve chilled.

Berlucchi was the first winery to start making Franciacorta sparkling wines thanks to the visionary foresight of local landowner Guido Berlucchi and young winemaker Franco Ziliani. The two met in the 1950s when Guido was looking for a consultant to help improve his family’s wines. Franco quickly realised the potential of Guido’s estate for making top quality sparkling wines and the duo joined forces to create the very first Franciacorta sparkling wines in the early 1960s.

This spectacular example takes its name from the very first vintage of Franciacorta made on the estate in 1961. The wine is primarily composed of Chardonnay along with a smaller proportion of Pinot Noir from the estate’s prime Arzelle, Rovere, San Carlo, and Ragnoli vineyards. Once in the winery the grapes are carefully pressed and vinified in stainless steel tanks. The lots from the finest vineyard plots are then matured on the lees in oak barrels for 6 months.

The blend is then assembled in the spring and undergoes secondary fermentation in the bottle according to the same method used for Champagne. The wine is then left to age on the lees for at least five years before disgorging with a further 6 months of ageing in the bottle after that. This creates an opulent, richly-flavoured sparkling wine which is bursting with orchard fruits, sweet brioche and toasted almonds. The complex, multi-layered flavour profile makes this great as a celebratory aperitif or accompaniment to a fine dinner.