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. \n \n Producer Information \n \n Berlucchi is a wine producer situated in the Franciacorta DOCG region of northern Italy – an area famed for its high-quality sparkling wines in the mold of Champagne. Indeed, it was the Berlucchi winery that first released sparkling wines bearing the Franciacorta name in the early 1960s. The foundation of the estate grew from a partnership between Franco Ziliani and Guido Berlucchi in 1955. Ziliani wanted to create a high-quality sparkling wine made in the metodo classico style in his home region of Franciacorta and approached Berlucchi in order to fulfil this mission. A year after the inaugural 1961 vintage of Pinot di Franciacorta was created, Berlucchi created the first Italian metodo classico rosé wine. The original Pinot di Franciacorta has since been relabelled as Cuvée Imperiale and is a blend of 90 percent Chardonnay with 10 percent Pinot Noir. Berlucchi's vineyards are planted over 500 hectares (7413 acres) and are farmed using organic viticultural methods. Grapes are harvested by hand and the bunches whole-pressed, with the resulting grape juice separated into four lots according to quality. Fermentation is either carried out in steel tanks or oak barrels and appointed lots will also undergo malolactic fermentation. Chosen lots of this base wine will be matured further and undergo battonage, before aging in steel or oak tanks. After a secondary, in-bottle, fermentation of between 18 months and six years, the wine is riddled, disgorged and further aged in bottle prior to release. The Berlucchi Franciacorta portfolio is made in a variety of sweetness levels: Pas Dosé/Zero Dosage, Extra Brut, Brut, Demi-Sec, or Dry. The styles vary too, with Satèn and Millesimato being just two examples. In addition to the original Cuvée Imperiale, Berlucchi’s Franciacorta range includes Palazzo Lana, Berlucchi ‘61 and Cellarius. Berlucchi also makes several still wines under the Caccia al Piano 1868 label. The 20-hectare (49-acre) Caccia al Piano 1868 estate is situated in Bolgheri and is planted to Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Syrah.
