Winemaker Notes
Extra Brut '61 is a tribute to the birth of Franciacorta in 1961—the year Berlucchi produced the first of this classic method sparkling wine. This fun and lively sparkler offers citrus fruit and a crisp, clean finish.
Blend: 85% Chardonnay, 15% Pinot Nero
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A restrained wine that’s a classic Franciacorta, with strawberries, stone fruit and fresh grapefruit on the nose. Aspirin flavors, medium bubbles, a medium body, zesty acidity and a silky finish.
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Vinous
The NV Franciacorta Extra Brut '61 is lifted and airy, with a cascade of chamomile and mint complementing white peaches. It's loaded with zesty tension as a saline-infused wave of soft bubbles ushers in gobs of sour citrus and melon tones. Fresh to the very end, this leaves the mouth watering with a saline sensation that adds a truly gastronomic quality.
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Decanter
Lovely white blossom, lemon zest and blanched almond aromatics. Gentle mousse with a pleasant touch of bitter almond on the long, lemony finish.
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Wine Enthusiast
This fresh, creamy Chardonnay-based sparkler is making waves thanks to its crisp acidity and full-bodied mouthfeel. The balance is spot-on, with delicate aromas of apricot, baked bread and sweet citrus that are backed by smooth and persistent perlage.
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Wine Spectator
The creamy mousse cushions firm acidity in this elegant sparkler, carrying notes of poached quince, guava, ground ginger and elderflower, plus a touch of briny oyster shell.
A term typically reserved for Champagne and Sparkling Wines, non-vintage or simply “NV” on a label indicates a blend of finished wines from different vintages (years of harvest). To make non-vintage Champagne, typically the current year’s harvest (in other words, the current vintage) forms the base of the blend. Finished wines from previous years, called “vins de reserve” are blended in at approximately 10-50% of the total volume in order to achieve the flavor, complexity, body and acidity for the desired house style. A tiny proportion of Champagnes are made from a single vintage.
There are also some very large production still wines that may not claim one particular vintage. This would be at the discretion of the winemaker’s goals for character of the final wine.
Containing an exciting mix of wine producing subregions, Lombardy is Italy’s largest in size and population. Good quality Pinot noir, Bonarda and Barbera have elevated the reputation of the plains of Oltrepò Pavese. To its northeast in the Alps, Valtellina is the source of Italy’s best Nebbiolo wines outside of Piedmont. Often missed in the shadow of Prosecco, Franciacorta produces collectively Italy’s best Champagne style wines, and for the fun and less serious bubbly, find Lambrusco Mantovano around the city of Mantua. Lugana, a dry white with a devoted following, is produced to the southwest of Lake Garda.