Looking for a fantastic bubbly?
The Fantinel family own over 300 hectares of vines planted in some of the best dirt in Grave, Colli Orientali del Friuli, and Collio districts in Friuli-Venezia Giulia (the northwest corner of Italy). They've been farming this land since the 60's and, under my friend Marco Fantinel's ceaseless efforts, have expanded their distribution to over 90 countries. If you are ever in the region, do not hesitate to visit their multiple estate wineries - across the board the wines are fantastic. And, while today's focus is on Prosecco and Brut Rose, we will have offers from his other wineries down the road.
On offer today is a 6-pack of vintage-dated or "Millesimato" 2020 Brut Rose straight from Marco's "One and Only" program. Essentially, these are single-vineyard, reserve-level quality sparklers made with tremendous precision and attention to detail.
Our Lot 256 Prosecco and 257 Brut Rose bottlings are the exact same wine you'd find under the Fantinel label for $25+/bottle at retail or $50-$60 on a wine list here in the US. On offer today for only $13/bottle. As I like to say, wine doesn't cost a lot to make, it costs a lot to sell.
Bone dry, these wines have a purity and elegant structure that put them far above the average sparkling wine (and if you have ever had the entry-level Fantinel Prosecco offering you know even that wine is far from average) and they'll compare favorably against just about any $40+ Champagne in terms of overall quality.
Lot 257 2020 Brut Rose - again, from the Fantinel estate vineyard in Friuli Grave, this wonderful Brut Rose is comprised of 90% Pinot Nero and 10% Chardonnay. The color is a gorgeous pale pink with a hint of gold shading the background such that it is practically luminous. Fine grained bead from a long, 5-month fermentation. Red currant and delicate rendered wild strawberry essences lead the soft, generous bouquet with crusty bread, raspberry notes and a little rose perfume rounding things out. The red fruits are again crisply and delicately rendered over a mouthwatering minerality that fuels a long, velvety, elegant and persistent finish. Delizioso!
