Today’s wine is the brainchild of Mario Falcetti (oenologist and agronomist, former Contadi Castaldi, Terra Moretti group), and it has the distinction of being produced by a winery I like to call “unconventional”. Falcetti, the manager of the Quadra winery since 2008, has a reputation for taking things into his own hands and revolutionizing both management philosophy and winemaking techniques.
Franciacorta is an area of Lombardy, in the province of Brescia and south of Lake Iseo, particularly suited for growing grapes that will result in the production of sparkling Franciacorta DOCG Metodo Classico (Champenoise Method), to the point of being one of the choice areas in Italy for such cultivation.
The Quadra vineyards extend over 20 hectares. While Chardonnay (60% of cultivated grapes) is the main grape variety of the territory, Pinot Bianco (20%) and Pinot Noir (20%) are also grown here, on hilly plots of land settled over moraine deposits. The use of Pinot Blanc and Pinot Noir in the different blends of Quadra Franciacorta helps to enhance character and originality.
The wine of the week takes advantage of the fact that, by the time I tasted it, it had undergone two more years of aging in the bottle.
It is composed of 70% Chardonnay, partly fermented in wood, and 30% Pinot Bianco: 4.5 atmospheres of pressure instead of 6. The grapes come from six different vineyards in Erbusco, Adro, Clusone, Cologne, Paderno.
Tasting notes. Golden yellow in the glass, with a very fine and persistent perlage.Having been uncorked after two years (as the bottle had been in my basement since September 2014) all the wine’s qualities emerge, intact and enriched.
Fresh and intense yeast on the nose, followed by shades of barley sugar, vanilla, melted butter, abundant custard, thyme and herbs, all elegantly punctuated: in short, a bouquet of great impact. The taste is immediate, less soft than expected, but not abrupt, strong acidity, it is powerful, intense and flows gradually. A fulfilling wine that will have you reaching for the glass for another sip. Notes of wildflower honey as finish.
Some technical data: vinification requires soft pressing, then fermentation in steel and in barriques (15%); followed by aging of base wines in steel and barriques (only 15%) for 8 months. Aged in bottle for 48 months. Disgorgement Spring 2014.
Retail price: € 18 – My rating: 88/100