There is no doubt that the sparkling production of Ferrari wineries, their Trento DOC, represents one of the highest productive peaks of this kind in Italy, and that these wines are among the most renowned ambassadors in the world of Italian style. On the other hand, the history of this House was born more than a century ago, when the young oenologist Giulio Ferrari (trained at the Royal Agricultural School of San Michele all’Adige and at the exclusive School of Viticulture of Montpellier) founded it in 1902, at the age of 23, and begins to produce sparkling wines, making use of his experience gained during his apprenticeship in Epenay, in Champagne. [Read more…] about Trento Spumante Extra-Brut 2010 Riserva Lunelli, Ferrari
Chardonnay
Chassagne-Montrachet Premier Cru Morgeot 2012, Domaine Ramonet
The history of the Ramonet family’s wine production in the Chassagne-Montrachet area began towards the end of 1920 with Pierre Ramonet, a young man with high hopes, who began to buy the first patches of land in those places. If Pierre was simply good at buying the most suitable land, or if he was extremely skilled in the transformation of grapes into wine, we could not know for sure, but what we know is that, just ten years after the birth of Domaine, an American customer, Frank Schoonmaker, was so impressed by the level of the wines that he decided to start exporting large quantities (we are talking about three quarters of the entire production). [Read more…] about Chassagne-Montrachet Premier Cru Morgeot 2012, Domaine Ramonet
Bianco della Castellada 2010, La Castellada
On La Castellada hill, in Oslavia, in the province of Gorizia, less than five kilometers from the border with Slovenia, stands the homonymous winery La Castellada whose history has its roots at the end of the Second World War. It all began in the 50s when Giuseppe Bensa bought some vineyards and an adjoining building with the intention of transforming it into a rustic tavern in which to sell the bulk wines produced there. [Read more…] about Bianco della Castellada 2010, La Castellada
Blanc de Blancs Le Mesnil Sur-Oger Grand Cru Extra-Brut Champ d’Alouette 2004, Gonet-Médeville
The fact that the Maison Gonet-Médeville has just turned 20 years of age should not mislead us from the actual importance of this winery in Bisseuil, on the south-eastern side of the Montagne de Reims, in Champagne. The owner couple, Xavier Gonet and his wife Julie Médeville, are in fact the respective descendants of a famous family of Champagne winemakers (the Gonets) and a family with several properties in Bordeaux, including Château Gillette and Château Les justices (the Médevilles). [Read more…] about Blanc de Blancs Le Mesnil Sur-Oger Grand Cru Extra-Brut Champ d’Alouette 2004, Gonet-Médeville
Benefizio Riserva Castello di Pomino 2016, Marchesi Frescobaldi
Few wine brands in the world can boast a history of over seven centuries, like the one that belongs to the Frescobaldi family, one of the most illustrious standard-bearer of the made in Italy wine in the world. The Frescobaldis, in fact, are a family whose first exponents moved from the Val di Pesa, where they owned land including the estate of Castiglioni (their oldest agricultural property), to Florence around the year 1000. [Read more…] about Benefizio Riserva Castello di Pomino 2016, Marchesi Frescobaldi
Lis 2016, Lis Neris
To establish a date of the connection between the Pecorari family and viticulture in the Isonzo valleys, near Gorizia, in Friuli Venezia Giulia, just 10 kilometers from the border with Slovenia, we have to go back to 1879. Since then this connection has never been broken, passing through five generations, and arriving at the current owner Alvaro Pecorari who, starting from the important development work done by his father, gave it a definitive organization through the creation of Lis Neris winery. [Read more…] about Lis 2016, Lis Neris
Franciacorta Extra Brut Comarì del Salem 2012, Azienda Agricola Uberti
The area in the province of Brescia, south of Iseo Lake, framed by its morainic hills, was known for the production of wine already at the time of Plinio the Elder and Virgil and, wanting to go even further back in time, the excavations have brought to light accumulations of grape pips dating back to prehistoric times. In that area, called Franciacorta and elevated to DOC in 1967 and DOCG in 1990, there is a family, that of the Uberti, who had begun to produce wines already in 1793, resulting in fact one of the oldest of the denomination tout court. [Read more…] about Franciacorta Extra Brut Comarì del Salem 2012, Azienda Agricola Uberti
Meursault Clos de la Barre 2012, Domaine des Comtes Lafon
In order to establish the date of birth of the Domaine des Comtes Lafon it is necessary to go back, to 22 January 1894, when an administrative accountant of the south-west of France, Jules Joseph Barthélémy Lafon, married the daughter of a family of Meursault wine merchants, Marie Bloch. Marie inherited some vineyards in that area of the Côte de Beaune, while Jules was engaged in his career as a state administrator, culminating in the 1920s with his election as mayor of Meursault. [Read more…] about Meursault Clos de la Barre 2012, Domaine des Comtes Lafon
Chardonnay Rarity 2000, Cantina Terlano
In the area of Terlano wine was produced at least in the 6th century B.C. as it dates back to that time a characteristic billhook for the vine pruning, very similar to those still used in those areas, in the subzone “Siebenheich/Settequerce” (= seven oaks). On the other hand, that this was a particularly well-suited area, was also known by the large landowners who held the monopoly in the 19th century [Read more…] about Chardonnay Rarity 2000, Cantina Terlano
Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru Les Monts Luisants 2012, Domaine Dujac
The story of Domaine Dujac begins when Jacques Seysses, heir of a famous biscuit factory, spends some vintages with Gérard Potel at his estate Pousse d’Or in Volnay. After receiving the necessary teachings, the 25-year-old Jacques purchased the historic Graillet estate of Morey-Saint-Denis in 1968, and renamed it Domaine Dujac (contraction of “du Jacques”). [Read more…] about Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru Les Monts Luisants 2012, Domaine Dujac
Franciacorta UNO, Azienda Agricola Colline della Stella
The history of Azienda Agricola Colline della Stella is first of all the story of the tenacity and resourcefulness of a young man, the then little more than twenty years old Andrea Arici, that in the second half of the 90s decided to try a long and hard work of recovery of some old vineyards between Cellatica and Gussago, in the easternmost area of Franciacorta To tell the truth, the area of Cellatica was famous for its red wines, and the local vineyards were entirely planted with Barbera, Marzemino or Schiava grapes; this, however, will not discourage Andrea who, together with his father Francesco, plant first Chardonnay and then Pinot Noir. [Read more…] about Franciacorta UNO, Azienda Agricola Colline della Stella
Blanc de Blancs Premier Cru Pas Dosé L’Apôtre 2013, Davíd Léclapart
Léclapart family has been cultivating the vine for three generations in the small village of Trépail, north of Ambonnay, in the heart of the territory of Reims, the legendary Champagne Montagne. The winery is currently run by David who, before continuing the work of his parents, was trained at the agrobiological school in Beaujeu and spent 2 years of training at Leclerc-Briant. [Read more…] about Blanc de Blancs Premier Cru Pas Dosé L’Apôtre 2013, Davíd Léclapart
Brut La Grande Année Rosé 2002, Bollinger
Bollinger is one of the most famous and historic Maison of Champagne, founded in 1829 and, since 1884, awarded the prestigious Royal Warrant, the certification of the status of British Court official supplier (whose golden-transparent adhesive stands just above the label of its wines). The winery is still owned by the homonymous family that over time has come to own 178 hectares of vineyards, mainly Premier Cru and Grand Cru in the sub-area of Aÿ. [Read more…] about Brut La Grande Année Rosé 2002, Bollinger
Franciacorta Brut Doppio Erre Di, Derbusco Cives
Although Franciacorta are constantly among the best Italian sparkling wines, it is worth remembering that it is a productive zone born at the end of the 70s and officially recognized with the DOCG only in 1995. The name of the area comes from the Latin “curtes francae” (free courts) and this would seem to indicate that in the Early Middle Ages (between the sixth and eleventh centuries) those lands were exempt from paying tribute, a privilege granted to the small communities of Benedictines who inhabited them. [Read more…] about Franciacorta Brut Doppio Erre Di, Derbusco Cives
Chablis 2017, Daniel Dampt
The northernmost area of Burgundy, universally known as Chablisienne, is so famous that often the term Chalis seems to live of own life, independent from the macro-region it belongs from, because of its unique and peculiar pedoclimatic characteristics. In fact, the cold temperatures, added to the unique composition of the soil, made of marl and limestone of the Upper Jurassic (between 160 and 145 million years ago) mixed with shell fossils “Exogira Virgola” (154 million years ago), makes the wines that are produced there characterized by sharp acidity and meager body. [Read more…] about Chablis 2017, Daniel Dampt
Franciacorta Zèro 2016, Contadi Castaldi
According to the available sources, it is possible to say that the Moretti family was present in Erbusco, the country became the beating heart of the denomination Franciacorta docg, since 1400. Certainly at that time it could not be assumed that those areas would become so important for Italian viticulture and for the production of sparkling wines and in fact, in 1967, the founder, Vittorio Moretti, had created a construction company, the Moretti Building on Human Values, which for a strange fate had specialized in the construction of cellars. [Read more…] about Franciacorta Zèro 2016, Contadi Castaldi
Chardonnay 2018, Colle Duga
Colle Duga, a winery located in Zegla, a small agglomeration six kilometers northeast of Cormons, one of the most important centers of the Gorizia Collio, owes its name to that of the hill on which it insists the headquarters, called Duga, from immemorial time, by the ancestors. We are a few kilometers from the border with Slovenia and here Damian Princic manages his 10 hectares of property since 1997, with vineyards in Zegla, Novali and Russiz, all within the municipality of Cormons. [Read more…] about Chardonnay 2018, Colle Duga
Chablis Grand Cru Blanchot 2010, La Chablisienne

Chablis appellation owes its fame to the Chardonnay wines that have gradually established over time for some characteristics rather peculiar to its position, north of the Côte d’Or. This position has ensured the birth of extremely fresh wines, citric and mineral, the mix between the soil Kimmeridge, characterized by the storage of small fossil shells of marine origin, and low temperatures. [Read more…] about Chablis Grand Cru Blanchot 2010, La Chablisienne
Brut N.7, Champagne Ayala
The history of maison Ayala, in Champagne, begins in 1860 thanks to Edmond de Ayala who establishes the winery in Aÿ, the famous Grad Cru of the Vallée de la Marne. The winery doesn’t take long to be noticed, thanks to the 1865 choice to vinify its wines with a dosage of 21 g/l, certainly higher than what we are currently used to but certainly much lower than the standards of the time, which included sweet wines with a dosage of about 150 g/l. [Read more…] about Brut N.7, Champagne Ayala
Chablis Grand Cru Blanchot 2010, La Chablisienne

Chablis appellation owes its fame to the Chardonnay wines that have gradually established over time for some characteristics rather peculiar to its position, north of the Côte d’Or. This position has ensured the birth of extremely fresh wines, citric and mineral, the mix between the soil Kimmeridge, characterized by the storage of small fossil shells of marine origin, and low temperatures. [Read more…] about Chablis Grand Cru Blanchot 2010, La Chablisienne