From: Lombardy, Italy
Blend: 90% Chardonnay, 10% Pinot Nero
#93 Wine Spectator Top 100 of 2021
Straw yellow, with greenish highlights. On the nose, this wine is crisp, rich, and elegant, fairly lengthy and with lovely depth. It releases generous fragrances of apple and pear, along with notes of tropical fruit and subtle nuances of spice. Displays an exceptional freshness and zesty acidity on the palate with a velvet texture and fine balance, concluding with appealing notes of citrus.
Critical Acclaim and Taste: WE 92 Wine Enthusiast
A blend of 90% Chardonnay and 10% Pinot Nero, this refined sparkler opens with heady aromas of white wild flower, citrus and a whiff of bread crust. On the lively palate, fresh acidity brightens creamy white peach, Golden Delicious apple and lemon drop. A brioche note wraps up the finish.
WS 91 Wine Spectator
Rich hints of brioche and pastry cream accent flavors of white peach and passion fruit coulis in this creamy Franciacorta, with a satiny bead, finely balanced by a bright backbone of citrusy acidity. Chardonnay and Pinot Nero. Drink now
RP 90 Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
This is one of the most accessible and well-priced expressions of high-end (Classic Method) Italian sparkling wines you can find on the market today. The NV Franciacorta '61 Brut (disgorged in 2017) is fresh and zesty with a long and festive set of easy-drinking qualities. You get citrus, stone fruit and sweet almond all backed by persistent perlage. The wine represents a blend of 90% Chardonnay and 10% Pinot Nero aged on the lees for two years.
JS 90 James Suckling
This has aromas of grapefruit, pastries, lemons and oyster shells. Nicely balanced and biscuity, with a medium body, fine bubbles and bright finish. Dry.
Pairing: Berlucchi’s Franciacorta Brut ’61 will pair beautifully with a simple spread of cold cuts with fresh, fatty cheese. If you’d like to pair it with a full meal, we’d recommend a fish-based pasta or rice dish. The following recipe from Jacqueline De Bono’s website, The Pasta Project, would be divine!
Farfalle Pasta with Smoked Salmon & Zucchini
This divinely delicious contemporary Italian pasta recipe for farfalle with smoked salmon and zucchini has a delicate creamy flavour enhanced by the addition of a little grated fresh ginger and orange zest. It's easy to make yet elegant enough for special occasions!
About. Franciacorta is a sparkling wine DOCG area in Lombardy, Italy, in the hills east of Brescia (which is just over 50 miles east of Milan). It is known for its production of sparkling wines from Pinot Nero (Pinot Noir), Chardonnay, and some Pinot Bianco using the traditional Champagne method. This reputation launched in 1961, when the success of the region’s first release of sparkling wine galvanized entrepreneurs to invest in producing sparkling wines there, using France’s iconic Champagne region as a model.
We’re sharing the following Wine Enthusiast article from December 2021 about the winemaker and co-founder of Berlucchi: A Father of Franciacorta: Franco Ziliani, Pioneering Winemaker of Italian Sparkling Wine, Dies at 90.
