Franciacorta Rosé NV

Sourced from estate vineyards with east-southeast exposure, the unique soils are an undulating terrain in a glacial-origin bowl, with loose soils of medium fertility, with medium-deep gravel-pebble mixture.

Fruit is hand picked into small boxes, between the second and fourth week of August. In the winery the Pinot Noir grapes are fermented on the skins for a few hours, to give the cuvée its characteristic pink hue. The Chardonnay and Pinot Blanc are given a traditional white-wine vinification, with the clusters pressed in a pneumatic press and the first and second fractions kept separate. Fermentation and a maturation of some seven months take place partly in temperature-controlled stainless steel and partly in small oak barrels, where the malolactic fermentation takes place. The tiered-up bottles remain in our cellars for at least 24 months before riddling. The sediment is then removed and they are given the Brut-style liqueur d’expedition, then corked and wired. The wine then rests in the bottle at least two more months before release.

The mousse of this rosé conjures up the visual impression of a very watercolour pink; pale, with a loose, gauzy, yet extremely delicate bead, that assumes an almost geometrical precision in its pattern. A brief stay on the Pinot Noir skins has created this antique-rose pink, with the merest hint of a coppery shimmer. The crown is convincing, at rest, cautious. The nose, however, comes upon one suddenly, dense with movement. It proffers ultra-ripe impressions-think vibrant wild berry, at moments super ripe, yet refined; fleeting vanilla, a quick dash of iron. The palate exudes exuberance; the briefest hint of brine on opening, then a dance towards a dense, pulpy mid-palate. It lopes towards the finish, with a joy that is open-handed, extroverted, and radiant, formidably tenacious and appealing. Festive at every sip.