From the first winery to use the Franciacorta name on the bottle, we review the crisp, clean and delicious Berlucchi Franciacorta 61 Extra Brut.
Sparkling wine made from 85% Chardonnay and 15% Pinot Noir from the Franciacorta region in Lombardy, northern Italy. The wine is aged on its lees for a minimum of 24 months.
We love Franciacorta, or as some might call it Italian Champagne, as it has many similarities to French Champagne in terms of the grape varieties used, how it is made (methode champenoise with long aging) and the quality. And even though it is a relatively new region without the long history of Champagne, these are some of our favorite sparkling wines.
The Berlucchi Winery was the first winery to use the Franciacorta name on a wine in, you guessed it, 1961, a fact the name of this wine gives homage too. The region was given a DOC title in 1967 and then attained DOCG status (the highest level for Italian wines) in 1995.
The example we have today is Extra Brut and has just 5 g/L of residual sugar which we really enjoyed (and 7.5 g/L of total acidity). Let’s check it out.
Sample submitted for review. The sparkling wine is typically available in the mid to high $20s but we’ve seen it as low as $22-$23.
From the winery:
Berlucchi Franciacorta 61 Extra Brut
MATURATION: assemblage of the cuvée in the spring following harvest, with the contribution of 20% of reserve wines expertly divided between Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Second fermentation in the bottles and maturation sur lie for a minimum of 24 months followed by an additional 2 months after disgorgement.
APPEARANCE: soft mousse with long-lasting cordon around the glass; fine, lingering bead.
COLOUR: straw-yellow with greenish highlights.
BOUQUET: crisp, rich and elegant, fairly lengthy, with apple and pear fruit and a pleasing citrus hint in the finish.
PALATE: displays exceptional freshness and zesty acidity with a velvet texture and fine balance, concluding with appealing notes of citrus.12.5% Alcohol
The non-vintage Berlucchi Franciacorta 61 Extra Brut begins with a very pleasing aroma of pear, green apple, lemon, lime and other citrus along with some honeysuckle and other floral notes. You’ll also find interesting touches of nuts, ginger, bread and sea salt. It’s a great start!
The wine tastes similar to the nose with all of those same touches combining quite harmoniously in the mouth. Crisp and lively with plenty of fine bubbles, it also has plenty of acidity. We also love the low residual sugar. This is a very well put together sparkler!
It ends crisp and lip-smacking on the long, delightful finish with some lingering sea salt notes under the fruit.
We also used this wine as a mixer in our article “4 Delicious, Fast, and Easy Sparkling Wine Cocktails” and it worked wonderfully!
Berlucchi Franciacorta 61 Extra Brut
Looking for more of the Best Sparkling Wine? Check out our list of the best picks under $25!
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