Franciacorta Tasting with Jeremy Parzen
@ I Trulli Restaurant, NYC (7/6/2015)


Jeremy Parzen, who writes one of my favorite blogs on the Internet, Do Bianchi, was in town hosting a tasting of Franciacorta sparkling wines at I Trulli. Jeremy is working on behalf of The Consortium of Franciacorta Producers promoting their wines at various locations around the US. He is also writing a blog called Franciacorta: The Real Story, where you can find out a lot more about these fine sparkling wines from Northern Italy.

I was able to take the train down and organize a lunch with a few fellow Neb Heads following this tasting. Turned out to be a lovely way to spend a summer day.

For each image, I have posted a compressed (and possibly cropped) version. Click on it to see the original, much larger image.


Jeremy introduces the wines of Franciacorta:


Franciacorta is a sparlking wine made in a similar style to Champagne. In the US, these wines range in price from at little as $15 on sale to over $50 for the top aged vintage wines.

The term "Brut" is used in Franciacorta similarly to its meaning in Champagne and other sparlking wine regions to denote a fairly dry wine. In Franciacorta, the term "Satèn" means a white wine made from white grapes, typically called "Blanc de Blancs" in other regions.


Flight 1
  1. NV Barone Pizzini Brut - Italy, Lombardia, Franciacorta DOCG
    (Chardonnay, Pinot Noir) Lovely, dry, refreshing. Leesy. (90 points)
  2. 2011 Barone Pizzini Satèn - Italy, Lombardia, Franciacorta DOCG
    (100% Chardonnay) Lighter, long, flavorful. (89 points)
  3. NV Il Mosnel Brut - Italy, Lombardia, Franciacorta DOCG
    (60% Chardonnay, 30% Pinot Blanc, 10% Pinot Noir) A little yeast in the nose. Dry, steely and tart on the finish. (88 points)
  4. 2010 Il Mosnel Satèn - Italy, Lombardia, Franciacorta DOCG
    (100% Chardonnay) Expansive nose. Classic, dry blanc de blancs. Strong charonnay flavor. Lovely. (90 points)

Flight 2
  1. NV Monte Rossa Brut Prima Cuvee - Italy, Lombardia, Franciacorta DOCG
    (85% Pinot Chardonnay, 10% Pinot Noir, 5% Pinot Blanc) Dry and a little sour. (86 points)
  2. 2009 Monte Rossa Cabochon - Italy, Lombardia, Franciacorta DOCG
    (70% Chardonnay, 30% Pinot Noir) Dirty poop nose. Sour. (NR)
  3. NV Montenisa Brut - Italy, Lombardia, Franciacorta DOCG
    (Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, and a smaller amount of Pinot Noir) Crisp, lemony, nice and refreshing. (88 points)
  4. NV Montenisa Brut Rosé - Italy, Lombardia, Franciacorta DOCG
    (100% Pinot Noir) Soft. A little dirty. No rosé color. (86 points)

Flight 3
  1. NV Ricci Curbastro Brut - Italy, Lombardia, Franciacorta DOCG
    (60% Chardonnay, 30% Pinot Blanc, 10% Pinot Noir) Dry, pleasant. (87 points)
  2. NV Ricci Curbastro Satèn Brut - Italy, Lombardia, Franciacorta DOCG
    (100% Chardonnay) Dry, a little softer and more flavorful. (88 points)
  3. NV Ronco Calino Brut - Italy, Lombardia, Franciacorta DOCG
    (80% Chardonnay, 20% Pinot Noir) Appealing yeasty nose. More fruit on the finish. (90 points)
  4. NV Ronco Calino Satèn - Italy, Lombardia, Franciacorta DOCG
    (100% Chardonnay) Yeasty, complex nose. Very dry. (89 points)

Flight 4
  1. NV Contadi Castaldi Brut - Italy, Lombardia, Franciacorta DOCG
    (80% Chardonnay, 10% Pinot Noir, 10 % Pinot Blanc) Nice doughy nose. Dry, flavorful, appealing. (89 points)
  2. NV Contadi Castaldi Rosé - Italy, Lombardia, Franciacorta DOCG
    (65% Chardonnay, 35% Pinot Noir) Mild yeasty fruity nose. Delicious red fruit. Clearly the best, most flavorful so far and the first rosé that I would have picked out blind as a rosé. (92 points)
  3. NV Bellavista Alma Cuvée - Italy, Lombardia, Franciacorta DOCG
    (80% Chardonnay, 19% Pinot Noir, 1% Pinot Blanc) Grapefruit an peach nose. Soft, balanced, tasty. Very nice. (91 points)
  4. 2006 Bellavista Pas Operé - Italy, Lombardia, Franciacorta DOCG
    (65% Chardonnay, 35% Pinot Noir) Yeasty nose with a hint of peach. Delicious and crisp with lots of appealing fruit salad. These last 3 are the best of the tasting. (92 points)


Jeremy's commentary on this tasting.

Charles Scicolone, one of the most knowledgeable people on Italian wines, has a much more detailed and thorough post on this tasting.

 

 


All original content © Ken Vastola